For the Love of a Woman
by TinaMarie6624
Summary: William Darcy, rich owner of a Napa Valley Winery, falls in love with 18 year old schoolgirl Elizabeth Bennet, sparks fly and when she refuses him, an unexpected circumstance put the means in Darcy's hands to force Elizabeth to accept his offer. Complete!
1. Chapter 1

After the final bell rang, Lizzie Bennet walked into the girl's restroom and she heard someone crying. "Are you okay? Can I help?" She called out.

The girl stepped out of the far stall, her blonde hair was in disarray, she had tears streaming down her cheeks and her eyes were red and swollen from crying. She obviously needed a friend and Lizzie felt her heart breaking for the girl as she saw her in this state.

"What's your name, sweetie?" She put her arms around the girl to comfort her.

"Georgie." The girl hiccupped through her tears, "Georgiana Darcy."

"It's okay let it out, I'm here, and I can help, now tell me what happened." Lizzie soothed her and with three younger sisters she had plenty of practice at this.

"He…" She explained between her sobs, "He e-mailed the entire student body that I slept with him and I didn't even go out with him. I don't know why someone would want to do this to me. What did I do?" Georgie's body was wracked with sobs as a new flood of tears streamed down her face.

Lizzie patted her back until she had cried out her grief. "Who did this to you?"

"Denny Saunders."

"That jerk, I can't stand that guy." Lizzie had her reasons for hating Denny but she wasn't going to tell this troubled young girl but she would get even. Plus Georgie was just a freshman; she couldn't be more than 13 and even for Denny that was low.

"Let's get you cleaned up and then I'll give you a ride home to your parents."

"My parents are dead; it's just my brother Will and I, he's my guardian." Georgie told her while she brushed her hair. "He's going to be so angry with me."

"No, he won't, I promise." Lizzie assured her, "I'll explain everything for you and he'll know that you are not to blame."

They climbed into Lizzie's VW Bug and started toward the Darcy's house.

"You said your brother's name is Will, is that William Darcy, the CEO of Pemberly Wineries?"

"Yeah that's him; one of our great-great-great grandfathers' started the winery." Georgie seemed to be calmer now that the conversation had turned to everyday conversations. She talked about her brother a little bit until she finally burst out, "I adore my brother but I can't stand all the women he dates. I think that he has a new one every day and they are always the same, blonde haired, air-headed, gold digging bimbos. It's always the same, each one with a calculator instead of a heart, trying to figure out how much they can get out of him. Worst of all they treat me like I'm 6. I hate them!"

"Now does that feel better, getting that off your chest?" Lizzie glanced toward the girl and grinned.

"Actually it does." Georgie let out a sigh of relief.

Georgie did seem to be more composed now that she was able to say what she was feeling out loud. Lizzie on the other hand was getting more nervous with every mile closer they got to the Darcy home. She hadn't come face to face with Will Darcy for almost two years and she hadn't forgiven him yet.

She pulled in the driveway and parked. Georgie got out of the car, "Can you walk me in?"

Lizzie agreed and walked with Georgie as she reluctantly opened the front door.

Lizzie touched her shoulder and smiled at the girl. "It will be alright, trust me."

Georgie smiled back at her new hero and she had a strange feeling that everything would be alright. "Will likes to be here when I get home from school, so he should be inside." She explained and called, "Will, I'm home."

Will Darcy strode to the door and mussed his sister's hair in a greeting that was obviously a ritual between the two, "How was school, Munchkin?"

As everything came back to her, Georgie burst out crying again and raced from the room as Will Darcy saw Lizzie standing in the doorway.

"That was the wrong question." Lizzie stated as the she studied the man before her. _God, he's even more gorgeous than ever with his curly black hair and bold blue eyes that pierce right into my soul._

"What is wrong with my sister?" He demanded with anger in his voice, "Why did she run away from me?"

"Your sister has had a rough day." Her voice was cold as she returned his malevolent stare. She explained what had happened to Georgie not sparing him any detail.

"I'll go to Principal Annesley and she will be able to take care of that kid."

"That won't do any good, Mr. Darcy, trust me I know." Her eyes were blazing as she told him, "I'll handle Denny Saunders because that worm has it coming."

"What can you do to this boy that the principal can't?"

Lizzie just laughed at this, "I've taken care of this kind of problem before."

"What is your plan, Miss…"

"Bennet, Elizabeth Bennet." Lizzie answered for him, "You've heard the phrase 'plausible deniability' haven't you?"

"Yes."

"Well, you don't ask, I won't tell and I'll take care of that little prick."

"You are quite scary, Miss Bennet, I don't think I would want to meet you in a dark alley."

"You would do well to remember that, Mr. Darcy."

Darcy laughed and Elizabeth found that she was entranced by his smiling eyes.

"While we're talking so frankly, there's something else you should know." Lizzie looked at him with an evil grin.

"Go ahead." He said slowly with a feeling that he did not want to hear this.

"Georgie hates the women you date, the 'blonde haired, air-headed, gold digging bimbos' is what she called them." Lizzie smiled at the shocked look on Will Darcy's face.

"How long have you known my sister?"

"I just met her today when I found her crying in the restroom."

"She opened up to you just like that."

"I think once she got to talking, she just let loose the flood gates and things she had wanted to say for a long time came out."

"You sound way too mature to be a school mate of Georgie's so Miss Elizabeth Bennet, how old are you?" _He could not believe that she was standing in front of him and he waited nervously for her answer and he prayed that she was eighteen._

"17, I'm a senior." She didn't even think about not answering him but her icy look spoke volumes, "You know Mr. Darcy you shouldn't ask a woman her age, it's not polite."

_Darcy couldn't believe he was being lectured to by this 17 year old and what a firecracker she had turned out to be. She was even more beautiful than he remembered. God, he couldn't take his eyes off her and she was fantastic with her long dark curls that seemed fan out in every direction. Her jade green eyes flashed with intelligence and what a temper she had. He almost felt sorry for the boy who had hurt Georgie… almost. Weird thing was that she also seemed angry with him and he didn't know what he had done._

"Have I done something to anger you, Miss Bennet?" He gazed intently into her magnificently expressive eyes, "You don't seem to like me very much."

"You don't remember me do you?"

_He just stared at her without answering because he wasn't going to admit that he knew exactly who she was and that he had been dreaming about her for years._

His silence convinced her that she was right and she supplied, "My father, Thomas Bennet works for you, as an accountant for Pemberly Winery." She seemed to be dredging the depths of his soul for an answer but he refused to allow his eyes to give anything away."I've met you twice before at the company's annual Christmas party but I guess you don't remember me."

"Elizabeth Bennet, let me take you to dinner." Will changed the subject but as he read her reaction to his invitation, he qualified, "As a thank you for helping Georgie."

"No thank you, Mr. Darcy, now if you'll excuse me, I'll say good-bye to Georgie before I leave." She turned and had just left the room when Darcy caught her shoulder and said, "You're going the wrong direction, her room is this way, let me show you."

He put his hand on the small of her back and guided her up the stairs to Georgie's room.

The girl looked up and removed her earphones, "Lizzie, you're still here. I'm so glad, I'm sorry I ran out on you earlier."

"No problem, anytime I can help. I just wanted to tell you I'm going and I'll see you at school tomorrow."

"Elizabeth told me what happened to you and don't worry we'll take care of that loser boy." He winked at Lizzie who did not return the look, "I've got a great idea." He said in an overly peppy voice, "Why don't I take you both out to dinner tonight. You choose the restaurant."

Georgie looked at her brother with an odd expression; _Will had never taken any notice of her friends before and she was determined to get to the bottom of this_. Georgie glanced at her brother and back to Lizzie trying to figure out the tension she felt emanating from them. She vowed to forget her problems for the night and see where this would lead. "Oh thank you that would be great." She hugged her brother, "Plus this is great because Will never lets me choose the restaurant."

"No, I have to get home or my mother will worry." Lizzie protested.

"Lizzie, please come, we won't take no for an answer. Will, tell her she must come." Georgie begged.

"Elizabeth, you can call your mother and tell her that you're having dinner with us. If you don't have a cell phone, you can use mine." He offered her his phone while he leaned in and whispered, "I'm sure it would help to keep her mind off what happened for a little while."

"See you have to come." Georgie beamed in delight.

"Fine, I'll come; I can't fight both of you." She threw Darcy a furious look. She was fully aware how he had used Georgie to manipulate her into having dinner with them just because she had said no when he asked the first time.

When Darcy saw Lizzie's little bug in the driveway, he insisted on putting it in their garage so that nothing would happen to it. So there she had left her little blue bug, sitting next to an expensive fancy sports car.

They were driving to the restaurant that she and Georgie selected, although it was more like fast food only better. She still couldn't believe her mother's reaction when she told her she was going to dinner with the Darcy's. She had shrieked loudly with pleasure and she was so strident that Elizabeth was sure the two Darcy's had heard her.

"All Burger has the best cheeseburgers around. Will doesn't usually allow me to eat there but I guess it's a special occasion because this is your first date." Georgie did most of the talking as it seemed neither of the other two had any inclination to talk

"This is not a date." Lizzie protested vehemently.

_Will just stared straight out of the front windshield while he clutched the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white, God why had it been Elizabeth Bennet who had found and befriended Georgie in her time of need. Just when he thought he had forgotten her, she returned with a vengeance and not only that but she detested him for some unknown reason. But wait, maybe she was just jealous; after all she did mention all of the women he dated. He felt relieved because that had to be it, she was jealous._

During dinner, Lizzie took out her resentment by teasing Darcy mercilessly, "You don't seem to be enjoying your hamburger but I guess that's what happens when you get old." She smiled, "Your doctor probably told you to cut down on your cholesterol."

"Will always eats healthy and he works out, he's in great shape."

Lizzie took a bite of her French fry and waved it the air before she ate it slowly. "I guess you have to give up all the good things in life when you get to be his age." _Will watched her hungrily but his appetite was definately not for the French fry._

"I'm not that old, I'm only 26." Will protested, looking directly at Elizabeth and she just smiled.

"Just a few years from retirement then." Her voice was sweet but her eyebrow arched in a challenge.

"He's been looking for property in Florida," Georgie joked, "I just didn't realize it was retirement property."

"You're a very bad influence on my little sister." Will shot a look at Elizabeth.

"Isn't it great." Georgie said as she excused herself from the table.

"I'm such a bad influence, you probably don't want me hanging around with her."

"I wouldn't go that far," Will winked, "You are good for a few laughs." He leaned over and whispered in her ear, "You're not getting off that easily."

After they finished dinner, Will announced, "It's time I got you two home, it is a school night."

Darcy insisted on driving Lizzie home, "I don't want you out on the roads this late."

"What about my car?" Lizzie asked, "I need it to get to school tomorrow.

"Don't worry about that, I'll pick you up and take both you and Georgie to school in the morning."

"You have an answer for everything, don't you." Lizzie shot daggers at him in the dark.

"Yes." Will answered as he parked in front of her house, "Let me walk you to the door."

"There's no need." She insisted.

"Yes there is."

He walked her to the door and she asked, "Do you always get your own way?"

"Yes, I do," He whispered and she felt his hot breath on her ear, "You would do well to remember that, Miss Bennet."

She yanked the door open, stormed away and slammed it in his face.

Darcy chuckled as he walked toward his car, _God that girl is a firecracker _and he whistled a happy tune.


	2. Chapter 2

Will slept badly that night after he dropped Elizabeth off at her house. He couldn't think of anything but her and after sleeping restlessly, his bed clothes were tangled and strewn all over the place.

He was tired and in a bad mood when he and Georgie picked up Elizabeth. He didn't speak to either of them on the way to the high school. As they got out of the car he barked, "I will pick you both up right here after school, don't be late."

Lizzie glared at him with disgust and wanted tell him what she really thought of him but remembered that he had her car in his garage and just threw a malicious look his way and said, "Yes sir, Mr. Darcy." There was a wicked glint in her eyes as she said when she left, "Hey dude, you really need to get laid." She threw him an insolent smile as she stalked off to class without a backward glance.

Darcy was stunned that she had said that to him and couldn't help but give her a begrudging smile as he watched appreciatively as she moved into the corridors. She would always keep me on my toes. _But she probably wouldn't be saying things like that to him if she only knew what he wanted to do with her; he closed his eyes briefly as his fantasies took on a life of their own. Damn, Darcy stop thinking about her like that she's only 17 just a kid like Georgie. No she's nothing like his little sister and he definitely did not think of her as a sister._

When he got to his office at the winery, Charles Bingley was there to go over the business that needed to be discussed. Bingley gave up trying to get his bosses attention when Darcy kept muttering distractedly at him.

"Will, what's bothering you?"

"Charles, do you remember Elizabeth Bennet?"

"Oh yeah, her father is Thomas Bennet from Accounting." Bingley answered Darcy before adding, "I also know her sister Jane, who also works for the company."

"Do you remember the Christmas party a couple years ago?" Charles nodded, "Did I do something that would make Elizabeth mad at me?"

"Well yeah." Bingley looking at him with incredulity, "Wait, you don't remember what you said about her?" Bingley laughed, "But I guess if I said something like that, I wouldn't want to remember it either."

"Charles, stop playing with me and tell me what I said to her, this is really important." Darcy pleaded with his friend.

"It was two years and we were standing together and Mr. Bennet brought over his daughter to introduce to us."

****

"Miss Bennet, it's so nice to meet you, your father brags about you all the time." Bingley told her as he flicked his eyes toward her father. He saw Elizabeth blush slightly at the compliment.

"I can assure you, none of the praise has been exaggerated." Darcy smiled at her as his eyes roamed appreciatively over her slight frame with its beautiful curves.

"Excuse me, Miss Bennet," Charles motioned toward his boss, "This gentleman is William Darcy the CEO of Pemberly Wineries."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Darcy." Her voice had a pleasing quality and Darcy found himself drawn to her.

"The pleasure is all mine, Miss Bennet." He glanced at her father, "I envy your father, as he has the prettiest date in the room."

"I thank you for the compliment but I know that's not the truth."

"If that is what you think than you didn't look in a mirror before you left home Elizabeth." He loved the way her name rolled off his lips. "Any man would be happy to have you on his arm tonight."

Elizabeth laughed, "You'll have to excuse me Mr. Darcy but the manure you're shoveling is getting a little deep over here."

He laughed as he watched this enchanting woman walk away and he profoundly regretted losing her refreshing presence.

"Darcy are you okay?" Bingley asked him.

"Yes, of course I am." Will whistled, "That woman is gorgeous and I've got to get her number."

"Will, are you out of your mind that girl is only 16?"

"What." Darcy shot an unbelieving look at Charles. "That can't be true; she looks a lot older than that, at least 18."

"I can assure you that Elizabeth Bennet is only 16, she's a sophomore in high school for goodness sake."

As if in a fog, Will just left the room and walked upstairs to his bedroom. He sat on the bed and leaned over with his head in his hands not quite able to contemplate what had just happened. The woman he had been longing for all of his life had walked in the door and she was a 16 year old girl.

He didn't know how long he had been there before Bingley came to get him.

"Will, people are asking for you, please come back down"

When he got downstairs, Darcy saw that the dancing had started. His eyes found Elizabeth immediately and couldn't help watching her as she danced with her father.

He went through much of the night on auto-pilot and watched as Elizabeth Bennet danced with one man and another. _His heart tightened and felt the knot of jealousy rise in his throat, he wanted to be the one dancing with her._

"Will, you really should dance at least once, it's expected of you." He followed Darcy's gaze and saw Elizabeth sitting at a nearby table by herself. "You could even dance with her." It was as though Bingley had read his thoughts.

"What, Elizabeth Bennet." Darcy dragged his eyes away from her and he protested a little too loudly, "No she's not my type and she's not pretty enough for me, plus she's a child and I'm no cradle-robber."

"It's just a dance, Darcy." Bingley said, "Just a dance."

"No, I can't," Will said quietly, "You just don't understand."

Will chanced a glance to look at Elizabeth but she was gone and he was devastated.

****

"I'm pretty sure she heard what you said." Charles felt sorry for his boss.

"God no," Darcy laid his head on his desk with his arms over his head, "What did I do to her? I didn't even mean what I said."

"I never thought it was true."

"I don't even remember saying that about her."

"I would have blocked it out too."

"I couldn't dance with her because I was afraid that I might lose control. I was incredibly attracted to her and she was young, my response would have only scared her."

Charles Bingley exited the room to leave his boss and friend to work through his grief.

Will Darcy didn't know how he got through the rest of the day. When it was time to pick up Georgie and Elizabeth, he left the office and drove to the school but he felt defeated.

When they got to the car, Georgie said, "Elizabeth you take the front seat, I can sit in back."

When they arrived at the Darcy's house, Georgie took Elizabeth upstairs and they listened to music for a few hours while they did homework and chatted.

Will was restless and paced through the house. He wanted to go to her, explain and beg her forgiveness. The problem was that she was still underage, still a child. How could he handle that when all he wanted to do is take her in his arms and make love to her?

Elizabeth found him in his study, desperately trying to catch up on the work he had neglected today. When he heard a knock on the open door, his heart felt lighter and he smiled at her, "I'm leaving so I need to get my car."

He closed his eyes with disappointment and sighed for a moment before he got the keys and walked her to the garage and opened the door.

She said good-bye, got in her car and drove down the driveway. He watched her car until it disappeared and then he walked slowly into the house.

He went up to Georgie's room and asked her about her day. "You know nobody even talked about the e-mail because Lizzie made sure that everyone knew that I was her friend." She sighed, "It was like it never happened, except that now I have Lizzie as a friend. Do you know, we had lunch together and she told me all about her family especially her sisters."

Will smiled at her affectionately, "So it was a good day."

"Yeah, it was great."

"How were your classes?"

"Okay, I guess. I don't remember, there was nothing special."

"Goodnight Munchkin." He kissed the top of her head and closed her door.

Will didn't know if he could get Elizabeth to forgive him but he knew he was going to do his best to win her heart and he would start as soon as he found out when she was going to be 18. With his decision made he actually slept that night.

The first thing he did when he got to the office the next day was to find the companies health insurance policy. He had realized sometime during the night that the health insurance policy had a record of all birth dates for every employee and their dependents. When he found the name Thomas Bennet, he scanned the dependents and there it was, Elizabeth Bennet and her birthday was November 26 just a couple weeks away. Darcy sighed with relief.

Bingley wandered into his office and noticed the difference in Darcy's demeanor right away, "You're in a good mood today."

Will explained what he had found out and Bingley said, "So do you know how you're are going to win her?"

"I'm working on it." That was all Will would tell him.

The next couple of weeks were the longest in Will Darcy's life. He saw Elizabeth almost every day when she would bring Georgie home from school and they would hang out for a few hours. Georgie was flourishing with Elizabeth's friendship. But it tortured Will to see her and not be able to do anything about his feelings. He kept telling himself that he just had to be patient

By the time Elizabeth's birthday arrived, Will's patience was hanging on by a thread.

He wanted to surprise Elizabeth by taking her dancing on her birthday. To make sure that his plan worked he called the Bennet house and got permission from Mrs. Bennet. She had actually been quite accommodating when she found out who he was.

In the spirit of romance, he had arranged for a dozen red roses to be sent to Elizabeth at school and he wrote a note.

_ Elizabeth,_

_Your parents have already given their blessing and I will be taking you out to dinner for your birthday. Wear something comfortable and dancing shoes. I will pick you up at 7:00._

_Yours_

_Will Darcy_

Elizabeth was horrified and embarrassed when she received the roses at lunch. But when she read his note she was furious.

She located Georgie and told her, "I need to get your brothers cell number."

Georgie was excited, "I just knew you two would be perfect for each other."

Elizabeth ignored this and left to find some privacy, she dialed the number, "Will Darcy." He answered.

"You are an egotistical, arrogant ass and I'm not going anywhere with you." She didn't give him the chance to say anything before she hung up on him.

She turned her phone off and stalked off to her next class.

Will was shocked when Elizabeth called and tried to reach her for the rest of the day but either her phone was off or she was ignoring his calls. He decided to drive to the school to talk to her but he never found her. There was no doubt about it, Elizabeth was avoiding him.

When she got home, Mrs. Bennet who was waiting for her said, "I couldn't believe it when Mr. Darcy called and asked for permission to take you out tonight." She looked at her daughter, "Are you excited?"

"No." Elizabeth replied as she glowered at her mother, "I called him and told him that I wasn't going anywhere with him."

"Elizabeth Bennet, Mr. Darcy is your father's boss, so go put on the new dress I bought for you. I laid it out on your bed then call Mr. Darcy back and tell him you are sorry and that you will be delighted to go out with him tonight."

"I will not."

"Tom, tell your daughter that she is going out with Mr. Darcy."

"Daddy…"

Mr. Bennet cut her off before she could continue, "I'm afraid that you will have to go out with him, Lizzie."

Sighing, Lizzie went to her room, turned on her cell phone, ignored all of the voice mails and called Darcy. When he answered, she said grudgingly, "I'll be ready at 7:00." She hung up and closed the phone and laid back on her bed in misery.

When Darcy arrived to pick her up, she answered the door. She looked stunning in a simple green dress that clung to the curves of her body enticingly.

Before Lizzie could leave with him, Mrs. Bennet appeared at the door and pointed out how beautiful Elizabeth looked and Will couldn't help but agree, "She looks lovely tonight."

Mrs. Bennet told her daughter, "Make sure that you are on your best behavior and do everything that Mr. Darcy tells you."

Will could hardly suppress a laugh and Elizabeth threw a glaring look in his direction.

"You can keep her out as long as you want, Mr. Darcy." Mrs. Bennet told him, "We trust you and it is Friday night and such a special night, too."

Will put his arm around Elizabeth's shoulder and walked her to his car and she saw he had brought the sports car.

"So what made you change your mind?"

"I didn't." Her response was perfunctory.

"Then why did you agree to come with me tonight?"

"I didn't have a choice." She said flatly and motioned to her house where Mrs. Bennet was spying out the window.

"Do you still think I'm an egotistical, arrogant ass?" He smiled at her.

"Yes."

_Good Lord, this wasn't going as he planned but he had to turn it around._

"Well, let's hope that my head fits through the car door then."

A small laugh escaped from Elizabeth._ Well, that's a start._ He helped her into the car, went to the driver's side and took his seat.

He had chosen to take Elizabeth to a fine dining restaurant that would have dancing later in the evening. As they were waiting for their dinner they had a pleasant conversation about, books, music and Georgie.

Elizabeth was surprised to learn that Darcy liked a lot of the same books that she did. Also, he even liked the music she liked. Their conversation turned to what classes she was taking while he questioned and challenged her thoughts on each subject.

When the music started, he led her onto the floor and they danced a waltz. Both of them danced well and Will was thrilled to find out how well they fit together. He loved the feel of her body against his as they moved around the dance floor.

During the course of the evening, Will romanced Elizabeth and was incredibly attentive. He hoped that she could begin to forgive him and that he could make a start to capture her heart.

They danced a few more times during the evening and Darcy couldn't help but notice that she was the object of other men's admiration. As they moved to leave, he put his arm around her waist and possessively led her out to his car. He helped her in and climbed into the driver's seat.

He stopped the car at a local park and she asked, "What are we doing here?"

"I thought it would be good to take a walk and work off our meal." He helped her out of the car and with a smile led her onto one of the paved paths. As she looked up, she noticed that all of the trees along the path were lined with twinkle lights and it was incredibly beautiful.

She looked up and saw that he was smiling down at her, "I guess you arranged all of this?"

He smiled with delight that he had been able to surprise her. Will pulled his jacket off and put it around her shoulders. "I don't want you to get cold."

They walked in silence for a while before Darcy pulled Elizabeth close to him and kissed her gently while his tongue was seeking entrance through her lips. She refused to allow him to deepen the kiss.

"Happy Birthday, Darling." He whispered to her as he presented her with a gift box.

She opened the box and picked up a beautiful emerald bracelet. "I can't accept this."

"I want you to have it; I had it made especially for you." His voice was husky as he ran his fingers across her lips, "It's not every day you turn 18, please let give you this small token of my admiration."

She sighed and nodded her head in consent; he took her wrist in his hand and clipped the bracelet on her. He lifted the hand to his lips and placed a kiss along the back. He looked into her eyes and saw a fleeting light shine in their depths and heard a small intake of breath.

With a growl of pleasure, he kissed the hollow of her neck while his hands were moving along the curve of her breast. He persuaded her lips apart and with a sigh took possession of her mouth with his and passionately deepened the kiss.

With a gasp, she pushed him away and stepped back from him.

He caught her hands while he teased her, "I remember distinctly your mother telling you to be on your best behavior and to do anything I asked you to do. You don't want me to call your mother and tell you are not obeying me." He pulled his cell phone out in a mock threat and to his great joy, she laughed.

"I would actually like to hear that conversation." She adopted a forced baritone, "Mrs. Bennet, this is Will Darcy and I'm calling you because Elizabeth is refusing to make out with me."

With a laugh Will said, "Making out, is that what you call it. I just call it loving you."

Elizabeth's eyes flashed, "Well, if you want to 'love' someone like that, you're going to have to find one of your blonde, air-headed bimbos."

"If I wanted one of those, I wouldn't be here with you." Will countered, "You don't have to be jealous you're the only one I want."

"I am not jealous."

He bent his head, kissed her and without any intention to do so, she wound her arms around his neck, she ran her fingers through his hair and he embraced her tighter with a moan and drank of her lips with a passionate kiss.

He reluctantly pulled his head back and she slid out of his arms, "I'd better take you home before I completely lose control."

He put his arm around her waist and pulled her close to him as they walked back to the car.

The drive to her house took no time at all and when he had walked her to the front porch, Will took her face in his hands and pressed his lips against hers and she opened her lips while his tongue sought the depths of her mouth.

In a voice dark with passion, Will asked her to allow him to see her the following day. She refused and told him she already had a date.

With angry jealousy, he insisted that she call and break the date, "You're my girlfriend and I will not allow you to go out with other men."

Her eyes blazed with anger, "In what twisted world am I your girlfriend because I was forced to go out on one date with you." She was full of angry wrath and spat out, "I will not break a date just because you tell me to."

Will was too stunned by her sudden rush of anger to say a word.

Lizzie saw a movement from the window and saw her mother and younger sisters watching them. She suddenly realized that she didn't have much choice. All her anger was released and she felt overwhelmed, "Okay, I'll call and tell him I can't go out with him."

Will was confused by the sudden change of mood but he rushed to agree, "I'll pick you up in the morning and we'll make a day of it."

After she had made her escape from her mother, Lizzie lay awake in her bed. In fact, Mrs. Bennet had insisted she go to bed early so that could get 'her beauty sleep'. Her mother insisted that she look her very best for Mr. Darcy tomorrow.She turned over on her side in disgust. _Why did Will Darcy have such a power over her? She hated him but her traitorous body had melted with his kisses and she longed for his touch._ She was so angry that tears started down her face as she cried herself to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Saturday morning, Will picked up Elizabeth bright and early. He had told her to wear something that was warm, comfortable and to wear walking shoes. When she appeared she had on jeans and a sweater that molded softly to her and enhanced her curves.

"I thought Georgie would be coming with us today?" Elizabeth asked with evident confusion.

"I'm not bringing my sister on our date." He lowered his voice, "I want you all to myself."

"Oh." She looked up at him, "I guess I misunderstood."

"You look beautiful this morning." He caught her hands and lifted them to his lips to kiss each one. "You're not wearing the bracelet I gave you last night."

"Your gift was beautiful," She explained patiently, "But not appropriate for day wear."

"I want you to wear what I bought you." His eyes hungrily took in her appearance as he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her to him possessively. "I want everyone to know that you belong to me."

"I don't belong to you or anyone else; I think I've been perfectly clear about that." The icy coldness of her voice brought a blazing flash of anger to his eyes and his mouth tightened in anger.

"Why do you have to fight me on everything?" His eyes narrowed to slits, "Why can't you just indulge me and wear the present I bought you."

Her voice was calm, "Because you tell me what to do instead of asking me."

His relief was evident as he smiled, "Elizabeth would you please wear the bracelet I gave you for our date today?" He bent his head, met her lips and kissed her tenderly. "It would make me very happy."

"Okay." She answered reluctantly, "It's in my bedroom. I'll be right back."

He watched her ascend the staircase and appreciated the lithe way her body moved. _He imagined what it would be like to feel her under him while he kissed every inch of her delectable body._

When Elizabeth got to her room, she retrieved the bracelet out of her jewelry box and wrapped it around her wrist and secured the clasp. She sat down on her bed for a moment, took a deep cleansing breath and with a sigh made her way back to Will.

"That's better." He said with satisfaction.

"You really do like getting your own way, don't you?" She looked him in the eyes.

"I believe you asked me that before," He smiled with confidence, "and the answer is still the same. Yes I do."

"You do know what happens when an irresistible force meets an immovable object?" She glanced up at him with a sly smirk.

_She's flirting with me and I'm not going to let this opportunity pass. _He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her toward him until her body fit snuggly against his. With a growl he whispered in her ear, "Don't tempt me to find out." His mouth found hers with a demanding kiss that claimed a piece of her soul. His voice was husky as he nibbled on her ear, "It would be my joy to find out and I can guarantee that together we would be combustible."

He remembered that he was standing in her family's front room with her parents upstairs so he released her and said, "Unless you're willing to test my theory right here, I would suggest we go now."

Elizabeth stepped away from him and collected her jacket from the closet.

Will walked her out to the sports car and helped her in before he took his place in the driver's seat. Once they were on the way, Will headed to I-80 South.

"So are you going to tell me where we are going?" Lizzie tried to lighten the tension that had sprung up between them.

"I'm taking you to San Francisco." He glanced at her and asked, "Have you spent much time there?"

"No my dad doesn't like town, so I've never had a chance to explore the city."

"Great, we'll do the tourist thing." His eyes brightened in happiness, "It'll be my pleasure to show you all my favorite places."

When they got to the city he first took her to Fisherman's Wharf and her genuine excitement made him a most enthusiastic tour guide. They took a ride on a cable car, he took her to Golden Gate Park and visited the Academy of Sciences, the de Young Museum and took a stroll in the Conservatory of Flowers.

They visited the Ansel Adams Museum and he took her took her to lunch at the historic Cliff House. After they had finished their meal; they strolled hand in hand along the beach and he was once again enchanted by her reaction. Her childlike eagerness for every display at the Exploratorium delighted him. They took a walk on the Golden Gate Bridge and Will was rewarded by her hugs and kisses. He loved every minute of their day because he got to spend it with Elizabeth. As dusk approached he turned the car away from the Golden Gate Bridge and drove into the hills.

When they reached their destination, he stopped the car and helped Elizabeth out. As he walked her up the rise, she asked, "Where are you talking me?"

"You'll see in a minute, trust me you're going to love it." He squeezed her hand and led her to the overlook.

Lizzie's breath caught is her throat when she looked up; looming up in front of her in all its majesty was the Golden Gate Bridge.

"It seems so close that it's almost as though I can reach out and touch it with my hand." Emotion choked her voice, "It's indescribable, so beautiful." As sunset was upon them, a fire lit up the sky and the bridge seemed to glow in the semi-darkness. When the sun had set, she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him with unabashed joy. "Thank you for this. I'll never forget it, what an incredible sight that was."

He held her tightly to him and lifted her up into his arms. "It's my pleasure to share this with you." He ran his hands through her windswept curls, "I knew you would appreciate this place as much as I do." He sighed as he let her down, "I found this place after our parents died. I'm not sure why but it makes me feel close to them somehow." He looked down into her eyes, the emotion showing clearly in the depths, "I've never brought anyone here except Georgie because it always seemed too personal to me."

She saw the fleeting pain in his eyes and she pressed her body against him and pulled him down to her. She placed a light kiss upon his lips and he needed no further invitation; he urgently deepened the kiss as his hands moved down and found the curve of her hips while he drew her against him with gentle pressure. He slid his hands under her sweater and with gentle caresses reveled in the softness of her skin as he felt the curve of her breasts. He found the clasp to her bra and in a practiced movement released it while his hand sought the firm roundness of her breast. His breathing became ragged and his arousal became apparent.

With firm pressure against his chest, Lizzie pushed him back and slipped out of his embrace. His eyes were dark with passion as he sought to read her expression.

She started to re-hook the clasp on her bra when he turned her around and he pushed her sweater up in the back, took the ends of the lace in his hands and secured them firmly in place. He feathered kisses down her back and sighed with pleasure.

"I'd better get you some dinner." He gave her a wink, "I wouldn't want you to starve."

They found a small local deli and enjoyed sandwiches with a wonderful clam chowder.

Will and Elizabeth were contentedly silent on the drive home and once in Napa, he stopped the car on the side of the road.

"Please come home with me tonight, Elizabeth." He moved his fingers gently over her forehead and pushed a silky curl from her brow, he looked into her eyes, "I need you so badly."

"I'm sorry." She said as she drew back from his touch.

His disappointment was palpable as he started the car and headed towards her house. Once there, he parked the car and walked her to the front porch.

"I want you to be my date for the annual Christmas party this year." He leaned forward and nuzzled her neck with soft kisses and she enjoyed the feeling it evoked in her.

"I'm afraid I can't, I always go with my father." She refused without any thought or consideration.

"Your father can take your mother or one of your other sisters." His voice had suddenly turned steely.

"That's not likely since Jane is going with Mr. Bingley and you've met the rest of them, they're impossible to take anywhere without extreme embarrassment." She shrugged with nonchalance, "So as you can see, my father will want to go with me."

"Shall I talk to your mother and father?" He indicated the door.

"No, I guess not." She conceded resentfully, "It's not like you would be giving him any choice either, I guess I will go with you."

"It's on December 11 this year and," he smiled down at her, "you could sound a little happier about it."

"Not without losing my dinner." She retorted with a sly grin.

"You love to torture me don't you?

"It's a good way to pass the day."

"If you're going to mock me, you're going to suffer the consequences." His voice was soft but held a whisper of a threat.

"What would that be?"

"This…" He leaned his face in toward her and when he was just shy of her lips, he found a ticklish part of her anatomy and tickled her mercilessly until she cried 'uncle'.

"You're a brute." She slapped him on the shoulder.

"I warned you earlier not to tempt me." He closed the distance between them and took possession of her lips as he slipped his tongue into her mouth and kissed her with a passion born out of desperate need. He groaned as she responded with an ardor equal to his own. His hands slid down her back and she arched her body toward him as he moved to meet her.

With a sudden realization of where they were, he reluctantly dragged his lips away from hers and released her.

His heart was beating wildly as he leaned against the door to calm his body. "You'd better go inside before I lose all my will power, you are so intoxicating to me; I can't help myself where you are concerned. I'll see you tomorrow."

"I can't see you tomorrow, I have homework to do and I have to study for a test." With a sigh she chided, "Somebody has been monopolizing my time so I haven't gotten any work done this weekend."

"Okay, I can take a hint; I'll see you on Monday." He gave her a quick hug and a kiss on the check, "But no later than that."

He opened the car door and stopped to look back at Elizabeth; he caught her eye and smiled. He slid into the driver's seat while she entered and shut the front door._ He couldn't get enough of this woman, she had gotten under his skin and he wanted to be with her all the time._


	4. Chapter 4

By Monday morning, Darcy had a plan and was so exhilarated that when Bingley came in to the office, he was practically bouncing off the wall with enthusiasm.

"Darcy, what is with you today?"

"Can't a guy be happy without everyone thinking that something is up?"

"Are you going to answer my question or are you going to keep avoiding it?"

Will laughed and answered, "I'm in love."

"Not with the Bennet girl." Bingley sighed, "She's still in school and you can't be serious about this relationship."

"I am serious about her and I'm taking her to the Christmas party."

The shock was evident as Charles said, "You haven't ever taken any woman to one of our parties." He said with exasperation, "You know the grapevine at the winery; if you take her as your date you might as well announce that you're going to marry her."

"I am going to marry her." Will informed Bingley of his plans, "I am going to ask her at the party."

"Will, you've got to reconsider this plan; it's just plain crazy because she's still in high school."

"I'm not trying to rush her into this; we'll get married after she graduates in June." He smiled wryly, "Of course it's going to difficult to wait, I want her so badly but she's an innocent and I can't bring myself persuade her into an intimate relationship before we're married. There is going to be a lot of cold showers between now and then." He laughed sardonically.

"You've got this all planned out, don't you." Bingley looked him directly in the eye and asked, "Are you sure that she will say yes?"

"She will say yes because she loves me too, she just doesn't know it yet. I'm going to romance her until she has no other choice but to say 'yes'."

"Well then I guess the only thing left to say is 'Go for it'."

"Charles, why didn't you tell you were dating Jane Bennet?"

Bingley couldn't contain his grin, "She's an angel."

"I guess we both have a thing for one of the Bennet sisters."

Bingley nodded in response before he indicated the stack of paperwork that was waiting for them.

Later that afternoon, when Lizzie brought Georgie home from school, Will met them at the front door.

"How was your day, Munchkin?" Darcy ruffled his sister's hair.

"Great. I got an A on my Algebra test."

Will looked at Lizzie, "If you mess up my hair, I will hit you." She told him with a smile.

"What if I did this instead?" He kissed her while his hand found the curve of her backside and pulled her until she was positioned tightly against him.

"I'll wait for you upstairs." Georgie said but wasn't sure either one of them heard her.

"You feel so good and I've missed you." He said and ran his hands up her back.

"I'd better go upstairs; I did come over to hang out with Georgie." She teased, "You've got a way of commandeering my attention."

"I'd rather you hung out with me." He growled with urgent desire, "We could still go upstairs, I know just the place." All his thoughts of not rushing her were forgotten in the moment and the huskiness in his voice was impatient.

"I've got to go." She pushed against his chest until her relinquished her.

"I'll let you go for now but come to my study before you leave." Will was insistent.

"I'll see you in a little while." She dashed up the stairs.

Darcy was at a loose end until Elizabeth came back so he tried to concentrate on some work. It was useless and he had to stop himself from going up and dragging her to his bedroom. _You'd think I was some hormonal teenage, how in the world am I going to wait another seven or eight months until we're married. He hadn't acted like this in a very long time not since after the Christmas party two years ago._

Elizabeth joined him in the study before she left to go home. "Did you get all of your homework done?"

"Yeah, it's much quieter here so that I can get things done much quicker. I also had time to hang out with Georgie."

"You know you're welcome here anytime. I love having you here."

"Thank you." Lizzie looked at him with a question in her eyes, "Is that why you wanted to see me, to talk to me about my homework?"

He crossed the room, picked her up and kissed her passionately, "No." He walked over to the sofa and gently placed her down and lowered himself on top of her. His hand slid under her sweater to the warm skin underneath as he pushed it up and placed kisses along her stomach while his hands moved across her body. He moved to her lips and kissed her with a passion that melted her to him.

Her hands pulled his shirt from his trousers and began to move seductively across his over-heated skin. Her tentative caresses inflamed his senses and he moved against her.

With a groan of longing he pulled her sweater over her head and tossed it aside. He sighed with pleasure at the sight of her and he placed kisses down her neck to her breasts. He kissed her exposed skin and nudged aside the lacy fabric so that he could feel the fullness of her under his fingers. He felt her nipple ripen under his hand as he ran his thumb over the sensitive area. He heard her gasp and moved his mouth to trace the same path.

Elizabeth struggled to a sitting position as Will fought to regain his self-control; he raised himself and settled into the couch next to her.

"You are fantastic," His voice was still ragged from desire, "I've never wanted anyone so much in my life."

"I have to go now." She said nervously while she found her sweater and pulled it over her head. "I have to go."

She ran from the room and he barely caught her before she reached her car. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"I don't know if that's such a good idea."

"Please don't shut me out." His frown increased as he spoke from his heart, "I promise to do a better job keeping my feelings under control."

"If I don't agree to see you again, will you call my parents?" Her eyes searched his for an answer somewhere in the depth.

"No, I won't." There was pain etched on his face, "But I beg you not to give up on us, what we have is really special."

"Well at least you learned that lesson." She smiled and his heart soared, "I'll see you when I bring Georgie home tomorrow." She looked at him sternly, "But there will no repeat performance of what happened today."

"I'll do whatever you want."

He walked back into the house._ Damn Darcy, you just scared the hell out of her. You know she's innocent but your passion was inflamed when she responded so sweetly and you couldn't help yourself, you just wanted her so badly. You're just lucky she didn't decide to walk out of your life forever._

Lizzie drove out of the Darcy's driveway and then stopped to collect her thoughts._ How could you have let him touch you like that, it doesn't make sense, you don't even like him, do you? But it feels so good when he kisses and touches you. You are so weak; you just couldn't stand to see the pain in his face and caved._

The rest of the week slipped by quickly and on Saturday evening Will took her to one of his favorite restaurants for dinner and just as they had finished an enjoyable meal he heard a familiar voice call to him.

"Will, Will Darcy is that you?" _Oh no, not her, not now._

"Caroline, how are you doing?"

"Great, but why haven't you been around lately?" She must have seen him glance at Elizabeth and she asked in a mocking voice, "Who is this sweet young thing?"

"Elizabeth Bennet," Lizzie answered and returned her greeting just as insincerely, "How nice to meet you."

"Elizabeth." She gave a hard look to Darcy, "I'm Caroline Bingley, my goodness, Will, she's nothing but a child." She openly appraised Elizabeth with a sour expression and looked at Elizabeth as if she were a piece of dog feces on the bottom of her shoe. "I don't know what you could possibly see in her, there's nothing to recommend her and she's not even pretty."

"Caroline…" Will started before he was interrupted.

"I'm his lover, you know." She looked down her nose at Lizzie, "Once he's gotten what he wants from you, which could only be one thing, he'll come crawling back to me like he always does."

"Mr. Darcy," Elizabeth's voice was a frigid blast of anger, "Its looks like you've lost one of your blonde bimbos."

"How dare you talk to me like that?" Caroline sputtered.

"I'm just returning to you part of the shit you just threw at me." Lizzie's eye were blazing with fire as she stood up from her chair, "Another thing, if he wants you, you're more than welcome to him."

Lizzie threw her napkin down on the table, stormed out of the restaurant and disappeared before she could hear the round of applause that erupted throughout the room.

Will gave Caroline a venomous stare, "You've just insulted my girlfriend and I have nothing more to say to you ever and just for the record, I don't want you."

He caught Elizabeth in the parking lot, "I'm so sorry, she had no right to talk to you like that."

"I don't care what you say I'm not apologizing to her."

"I didn't ask you to apologize; Caroline deserved everything you said to her." He said as he drew her toward him to hold and comfort her.

"But I embarrassed you, aren't you mad at me?"

"You could never embarrass me." He said as he held her tighter, "Didn't you hear the applause as you left. Everyone in that room was on your side. Caroline's been making enemies for years." He tried to explain, "She's Charles' sister, otherwise I wouldn't have put up with her a long as I have."

"She's related to Charles, how is that possible, he's so nice and she's such a…"

"Bitch." He filled in for, "What a strange thing genetics is sometimes. Let's go home."

He let her in the car and climbed in beside her.

"She's said that she's your lover."

"She was a long time ago; she was one of many who didn't mean anything to me." Will wanted to be honest with her, "You know all about the women that I've had but that's all past tense. The only person I want is you."_ He almost said he loved her but he was sure that he would just scare her again. He had heard the pain and jealousy in her voice and he regretted his past but all he wanted in the future was her. Soon it would be time to tell her everything, why he had made the choices he had._ Two years ago everything had been different and he had been desperate.

_Why the hell couldn't he forget about that 16 year old Bennet girl? He was Will Darcy and he could have any woman he wanted. Problem was that he didn't want any of them. He wanted her, Elizabeth Bennet._

He had desperately tried to convince himself that there was nothing special about her. His heart would remind him about her wit, intelligence and even her humility. She was beautiful, loving and completely sexy.

Every time he would catch sight of her in the street, his heart would leap into his chest. He wanted to talk to her, laugh with her and make her love him.

He would drive by the school just on the slight chance that he could see her. He had found out where she lived and like a teenage boy would drive by her house just knowing that she was inside. He called her house just to hear her voice and it was torturing him.

It had been six months since he had met her and he couldn't get her out of his heart, his head and all he could think of was making love to her.

A shrill voice cut through his thoughts, "Will Darcy, I haven't seen you in a long time."

"Caroline." It was Charles Bingley's sister.

She had been chasing Will for years but he knew all she really wanted was the Darcy fortune. It wasn't that she wasn't attractive because she was blonde and beautiful but she was also icy, cold and calculating. On second thought maybe that was exactly what he needed, a beautiful willing woman that he didn't give a damn about.

He had found comfort in her arms that night but not without imagining that she was Elizabeth. He had even called out for Elizabeth at the height of his pleasure.

That was how his penchant for 'blonde haired bimbos' had started. None of them lasted more than one night and it was never anyone who could possibly remind him of Elizabeth.

The women had never felt anything for him and he never felt for any of them. At least for then, he had stopped obsessing about Elizabeth Bennet and it was ironic that now he couldn't image anything but spending the rest of his life with her.

He drove Elizabeth home and said goodnight to her on the porch. Once he gotten home, he climbed into bed and once again that night he dreamed of Elizabeth in his bed and he was happy.


	5. Chapter 5

The morning of the Christmas party was hectic for Lizzie because Mrs. Bennet insisted on taking her to get her hair and make-up done. Lizzie thought all the fuss was ridiculous for one evening and barely tolerated all of the attention. It was Mrs. Bennet's intention that Will Darcy would be proud to have her daughter on his arm. Elizabeth was appalled that her mother had bought a new dress for her because it was a necessity that Lizzie be well dressed for her date.

Will called Lizzie that morning and told her that he was picking her up an hour early because since she was his date she would need to stand with him as they received the guests. _It was only a tiny white lie._

Bingley had been exasperated when he had found out what Darcy was planning to do, "You should have just taken out a full page ad in the paper." He had told his boss, "The gossips will have a field day with this and they will have you married to the girl before the night is over."

Will had only laughed and replied, "By the end of the night, she will be my fiancée and I've told you that before."

When Darcy picked up Elizabeth, he was stunned to see how beautiful she looked. Her hair was up and she was wearing a silky white dress that clung to her body in all the right places and which sent his pulses racing.

"You look lovely." His voice was husky with need as he kissed her on the cheek.

"Thank you."

"This is for you." He said as he pulled out a gift box.

With all of her family watching, she opening the present and a gasp escaped her lips as she saw the gorgeous emerald necklace which matched the bracelet he had given her for her birthday.

"Lizzie," Her mother's voice was grating as she gushed, "Isn't that beautiful and so expensive. You need to thank Mr. Darcy for his thoughtful gift."

"Thank you." She said quietly, she leaned forward to hug him quickly but he caught her and held her tightly.

He pulled the necklace out of the box and placed it on her neck. He ran his fingers across the soft skin of her neck before he secured the clasp and turned her to face him. It looked beautiful against her pale skin and the darks curls which had escaped her hair style and were bouncing against her neck.

He whispered, "I will expect a real thank you later, when we're alone." To Mr. and Mrs. Bennet and Jane, he said, "We have to be going now but we'll see you later at the party."

He put his arm around her waist and escorted her to the car. Once he was seated, he turned to her and captured her lips with his and kissed her until she was breathless.

"My mother paid a lot for all of this war paint on my face and you've ruined it within minutes." Lizzie laughed as she gave him a light slap on the arm.

"You are so damn sexy tonight, I can't myself." There was a wolfish glint in his eyes.

When they had arrived at the Darcy home, Will said, "Georgie's in her room and she wants to see you before the party."

"She's not coming?"

"No, not until she's older." He smiled at her, "Let's go up before she comes down to find us."

Georgie was thrilled to see them, "Wow Lizzie, you look fantastic."

"You don't think I look good?" Will said with a sulky smile.

"You always look good," Georgie countered his attack, "and you know it. I don't think your ego needs any more inflating by my telling you how incredible you look."

He turned to Lizzie, "I blame you for this." He pulled her to him, "She would have never been this insolent before so how are you going to make it up to me?" His eyes sparkled with humor as he waited for her reply.

"I'm with Georgie on this one." She said slyly, "If your ego expands any more you could explode and nobody would be safe."

"You wound me and I will get my revenge." He winked at Elizabeth, "Soon."

The doorbell sounded, "I'm saved by the bell." Lizzie chuckled as Will ushered her downstairs.

While the guests arrived, Will kept Elizabeth by his side and his arm around her waist. Mrs. Bennet was effusive about her daughter's good fortune at securing the attention of Will Darcy and was acting like the queen of the ball. She was overheard telling a number of people all about Darcy's courtship of Elizabeth. Jane tried to stop her mother but once she started nobody could stop this woman.

Will began to work the room with Elizabeth by his side. He was so proud of the way she interacted with his guests. Her sparkling personality and wit endeared her to everyone present. Will couldn't help but notice the attention she was receiving from most of the men. In an effort to mark his claim, he would possessively pull her closer and run his hand along her hip in an intimate gesture.

When it was time, Will pulled her out onto the floor to start the dancing. He had requested that the band play a waltz for the first dance. They moved together across the room in perfect harmony and he asked, "Are you having a good time?"

"Yes." She looked at him and asked, "Is it always like this for you? I don't know if I could ever get used to all these people kissing my ass."

"No not always." He laughed at her choice of words, "You're just new and everyone wants to get to know you."

"My mother's not helping." She shook her head in shame, "I'm sorry about that."

He dropped her into a dip and couldn't help but kiss her. Unfortunately Mrs. Bennet walked by and crowed, "Just can't keep your hands off my daughter but what a cute couple you make."

"Mama, please." Elizabeth begged as Will walked her off the dance floor.

They danced a few more times and Lizzie even got him to dance to a rock song, "Can't believe you actually, let me think, how did your generation put it, 'Shook your groove thing.' Hope you didn't break a hip"

"I'm not that old and you know it." Will was smiling as he kissed her hand, "You're a tease."

Not one of the guests at the party could have missed the obvious affection between the very unlikely couple. They were impressed to see the marked difference in the personality of their boss. She seemed to have a very good effect on the man.

Will asked the band to play a ballad and was delighted when he walked Elizabeth onto the floor and she slipped naturally into his arms and he moved seductively against her. _She feels so good and soon she will be wearing my ring. His thoughts took an intimate turn as he imagined the feel of her naked skin against his as he made love to her._ His body's reaction was immediate and he was in danger of losing control. With every ounce of will power he could manage he finally got his response under control.

At the end of the dance, he led Elizabeth off the dance floor and upstairs to the family wing where they could find some privacy. He stopped and opened a door that Lizzie didn't know. He pulled her inside, turned on the light and locked the door behind them.

She eyed him suspiciously when she saw the large bed at the center of the room and asked, "Who's room is this?"

"Mine." He saw the blood drain out of Elizabeth's face and he realized the reason for her distress, "I didn't bring you here to make love to you."

"What did you bring me here for then?"

"I have something I want to ask you." He smiled at her.

He had been planning this moment for weeks and when she said 'Yes', they would go and tell Georgie before making the official announcement at the party. He was sure that they would be the happiest couple ever to live.

He pulled the ring from his jacket and got down on one knee. "Elizabeth, I love you. Please say that'll you'll consent to be wife and it'll make me the happiest man in the world."

She just looked at him with an uncomprehending stare for a couple of minutes. He thought he understood the reason for her silence, "I know you're still in school and much younger than I am but I've got everything planned, we'll get married after you graduate in June." He watched for her reaction, "You don't have to worry about me pressuring you to make our relationship intimate; I'll respect your wishes and wait until our wedding night." He took her hands in his and laughed, "It won't be easy but I'll manage as long as you'll let me hold and kiss you."

When she still didn't say anything he started to move nervously from side to side, "No." Her voice was determined and he looked at her with unseeing, disbelieving eyes, "I don't love you and I would never marry you." Her anger was growing by the moment, "For the last month you have coerced me into dating you on the threat of going to my parents. How could you ever believe that I would marry you." He just stood there glued to the spot and she finished, "You are an egotistical arrogant ass who thinks that everything revolves around you. You are the last man in the world that I would ever marry."

He was stunned by her words and all he could think was that he had a desperate need to hold her. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her with a passion that he couldn't control. His hands pulled the zipper on the back of her dress down and lovingly caressed the soft skin of her back. He pushed the top of the dress down passed her shoulder and kissed her neck and shoulders until she moaned with pleasure and arched her back so that he had more access to the tender places on her body. He reached down between her breasts and cupped one hand over the bare round breast. He heard her gasp in pleasure and he released her breast as he took her nipple into his hot mouth and suckled her softly as he heard her moan in delight.

He picked her up and laid her down on his bed and as he pressed her back upon the covers, he heard a strangled cry and she pushed at him. "Let me go."

Once he rolled off her, she jumped up, tugged at her dress and pulled it back into place. She moved away from the bed and tried to pull the zipper into place but her hands were shaking and she was unsuccessful.

Will got off the bed and moved to her, she tried to push him away but he pulled her back toward him and tugged the zipper into position, "Get away from me." She yelled and bolted from the room.

She didn't know where she was going but when she saw Georgie's room, she knocked on the door.

"Come in." Georgie called and Elizabeth struggled to compose herself before she entered the room.

Will just sat on his bed with his head buried in his hands. He couldn't believe what just happened. How could everything have gone so wrong. He had been so sure that she would accept his proposal. When he realized she was refusing him, he had gone crazy with his need for her and he had scared the hell out of her. He couldn't believe that he had let it go that far and he wasn't certain that if she hadn't stopped him that he would have been able to stop on his own. He was disgusted with himself but he had to find Elizabeth and talk to her, he couldn't bear to lose her now.

He left his bedroom and walked down the hall. He heard voices coming from Georgie's room. He knocked on the door and opened the door at her "Come in."

Elizabeth was sitting with Georgie on her bed and she looked up at him when he entered. He was glad that she didn't seem so panicked anymore.

"How's the party going?" His sister asked.

"Great." He told her, "Elizabeth we need to go back downstairs and say goodbye to our guests."

Elizabeth looked from Georgie to Will and because she didn't want to upset Georgie she said, "Okay." She stood to go with him.

He felt relieved, put his arm around her shoulder and walked her into the hall.

"By the way, they're not my guests." She hissed at him obviously still upset.

He leaned down and said, "We'll talk after the party."

She somehow managed to stand at the door with Will's arm around her waist and make pleasant conversation as everyone took their leave of the party.

When her parents came to say goodbye, Elizabeth said, "Mama, I'm going to ride home with you."

Her mother dismissed her words, "Oh no, Mr. Darcy will bring you home." She turned to Will, "Don't worry about getting Lizzie home too soon, we trust you." She winked at him and said, "You may have something very important to ask her."

When everyone had gone she turned to Will and demanded, "I want you to take me home now."

His voice was soft as he replied, "I'm sorry about what happened earlier, you were right to stop me. I'm also sorry that I distressed you." There was pain in his eyes, "I thought you felt the same about me as I do about you."

His heart ached when she didn't speak to him and he told her, "I'm not giving up so easily. I know you're attracted to me even if your heart doesn't have feelings for me your body does. I will take my chances that I can win your love." His heart cried out, "You fit in with my family." _You and Georgie are my family and my world. _"Georgie loves you like a sister and I think you feel the same." He eyes were begging her, "I love you so please give me another chance."

"Please take me home." Elizabeth couldn't look at him because her emotions were overwhelming her.

"Elizabeth."

"Please." She couldn't control the tears any longer and they fell down her face as she swiped at them angrily.

"Okay"

After Elizabeth said goodbye to Georgie, Will drove her home and as he walked her to the door, she wouldn't even look him in the eyes as she fumbled with the lock on the door. Without a backward glance she entered the house and closed the door on him.

That night he didn't sleep at all and he felt as if his world had come crashing down around him. _He couldn't lose Elizabeth. He loved her, he needed her and he couldn't let her go._


	6. Chapter 6

The week after the Christmas party, Lizzie still drove Georgie home but she always had a reason why she couldn't hang out and do homework with her.

When she did the same thing on Wednesday, Georgie asked her, "Lizzie is something wrong?"

"No, nothing, I've just got to get home." She hated to lie to her friend but she still wasn't ready to see Will.

"Did you have a fight with Will?" Georgie desperately wanted to help her friend.

"Georgie, I don't want to talk to you about your brother."

When her friend had left, Georgie went to find Will in his office.

"Hey Munchkin, how was your day?" He asked absently, not looking up from his work.

"Great." She studied him for a minute before she asked, "Will, did you and Lizzie have a fight?"

"I'm not talking to you about my girlfriend." Darcy glanced up at his sister and shook his head.

"Sounds like you guys rehearsed your answers," Georgie complained with exasperation, "Lizzie said the same thing."

Will felt compassion for his sister and felt his heart fill with sorrow, "She's still avoiding the house then, I'm sorry about that, I know you miss her."

"If someone would just tell me what happened," Georgie insisted with a stomp of her foot and tightening of her mouth, "I might be able to help."

He looked at his sister and for some reason the truth escaped his lips, "I asked her to marry me."

"You did, that's fantastic." Georgie jumped on his lap and hugged him, "When are you getting married."

"Georgie, she refused me." She heard the catch of pain in his voice.

"Why."

"She said she doesn't love me." He shrugged and felt the unhappiness weighing heavily on his soul; he moved Georgie off his lap and stood, "She also called me an egotistical arrogant ass who is used to the world revolving around me. That was before she said that I was the last man in the world she would ever marry."

"And you're just going to give up, just like that, I thought you loved her."

"I do Georgie," Will sighed, "I'm not giving up, I would never give up on Elizabeth but I'm just trying to give her a little space. She was pretty angry after the party."

"You two are both idiots." Georgie shouted with barely restrained anger.

"I can't argue with that." Will hung his head and his shoulders drooped in misery.

After Georgie left him to his thoughts, he took control of his feelings and decided that tomorrow he was going to take action and win Elizabeth back.

With the anticipation of working things out with Elizabeth, the next day was one of the longest of Will Darcy's life. Even Bingley lost his temper with him a few times during the course of the day because he wasn't paying attention.

Will had decided that he would meet Elizabeth at the school so he could talk to her. The old saying came to his mind, 'If Mohamed will not come to the mountain the mountain would definitely go to Mohamed.'

As he waited in front of the school, he noticed Elizabeth and Georgie enter the parking lot. They were giggling about something.

When he approached them, he saw a cell phone in Georgie's hand and they seemed to be reading something and laughing.

"What is so funny?" He asked as he walked up to them.

"Nothing." Elizabeth and Georgie said together while Elizabeth started to take the phone out of Georgie's hand.

"Not so fast." He said as he intercepted the phone, "I like a good laugh too."

He perused what seemed to be an article from a prominent San Francisco newspaper. The headline read; _Youth loses penis in a farming accident_. He looked suspiciously at Elizabeth before he finished the article. It went on to state that Denny Saunders, a senior at Meryton High School in Napa had been the victim of a farming accident in which his penis was severed into lots of tiny pieces. An authority at the local hospital was quoted as saying, 'They could only find a teeny weenie piece of the victim's penis for reattachment but we did the best we could with what little he had.' The article also stated that when asked why his penis was exposed to farming equipment the youth said 'No comment' and refused to answer.

"What little he had." Will quoted and his eyes were tearing up from laughter but he tried to pull off serious when he said to Elizabeth, "I trust that you are responsible for this?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Elizabeth feigned innocence.

"You are brilliantly diabolical," Will shook with laughter, "Is it any wonder that I fell in love with you?"

Elizabeth shot him a warning look and his face flushed with embarrassment.

"The whole school is calling Denny 'Teeny Weenie'." Georgie laughed, "It's great."

"I will talk to you about this when we get home." He said pointedly to Elizabeth, "I'll follow you in my car to make sure you get there." He looked at Elizabeth and she nodded.

Once they arrived at the Darcy's house, Will ushered Elizabeth toward his study and told Georgie, "I want to speak to Elizabeth privately."

"Okay." Georgie said with a wink and ran upstairs.

"I told you that you didn't want to know what I did, remember I told you about 'plausible deniability'." Elizabeth said quickly as they entered the study.

"What I really want to know is how you were able to pull this off?" The amazement and amusement showed in his eyes, "The newspaper article actually looked real."

"It was real, a real mock-up anyway." She told him with pride, "I have a friend that works for the newspaper and who did the mock-up for me. The rest was just a matter of knowing the right computer geniuses that could send out a global e-mail to the school anonymously."

He looked at her suspiciously, "And does this friend happen to be a man?" His jealousy was barely contained below a slight veneer of control.

"Yes, he is." She said defensively, "He's a friend who graduated last year, do you have a problem with that?"

He struggled to keep the green-eyed monster at bay, "No, I guess not." His eyes were full of emotion when he spoke next, "Lizzie I know that I am an egotistical arrogant ass and I don't deserve you but please give me another chance." He begged her ardently.

"You also think the world revolves around you." She reminded him in a sarcastic voice.

"Yes I do and I'm not worthy of a woman as spectacular as you." His voice was silky as he strove to convince her.

"Will, you're impossible, we've only been dating for a short time and you've already got our lives all planned out. I bet you've even picked out our children's names. I can't live like that, I like to be asked and consulted."

He looked away sheepishly, knowing how closely she had come to the truth, but he still persisted, "Let me take you out tomorrow night, anywhere you want to go." He face lit up as he had an idea, "Maybe we could go away for the weekend. I just heard of this great spa in Sonoma, what do you say?"

"Go away with you for the weekend, yeah right; what kind of idiot do you think I am?" She answered cynically.

"Elizabeth, that's not what I meant." He ran his hand over his forehead with an impatient gesture.

"You didn't mean that you want to take me on some romantic spa weekend to Sonoma and have sex with me." Elizabeth openly mocked him.

"I'll get us separate rooms," Will cajoled in desperation, "Georgie can come with us. I just want to get away so that we can work through everything without any distractions. No work for me, no homework or parents for you."

"I'll think about it and we'll talk tomorrow. It's the last day of school before the Christmas holidays." She looked at him sternly, "But if I agree to go, Georgie comes with us and the two of us girls can share a room so you won't get any ideas." Lizzie stated her conditions firmly.

He picked her up and kissed her gently, "I will be on my best behavior, I promise." He said as he put her down.

"I'm going upstairs to hang out with Georgie now."

While Elizabeth was upstairs, Will found he was finally able to concentrate and get some work done. When she came back down he walked her out and kissed her goodbye.

Will was in a good mood at work the next day and Bingley wondered what had happened to change his mood so drastically.

Charles Bingley walked into his boss's office around mid-afternoon and when Darcy glanced up from his desk he saw that something was wrong.

"Charles, what is it?" Will asked with concern.

"The auditors found something in the books." Bingley's tone was grim.

"What is it?"

"They found that someone has been embezzling from the company and it's been going on for a long time."

"Do they know who did it?"

"Yes, it's Thomas Bennet." Bingley watched his friends face for his reaction.

"You've got to be kidding." Will exploded impatiently.

"No, he's taken at least two hundred thousand dollars since he's been working for the company."

"There's got to be some kind of mistake." Darcy was desperate for a plausible explanation.

"There's no mistake," Bingley sounded miserable, "They're not through either, the guys a brilliant accountant, he did a great job of hiding the misappropriations and they're still trying to unravel all of the books."

"Leave me alone for awhile; I need to think about what I'm going to do." He looked at Charles and asked, "Where is Mr. Bennet?"

"He's in his office." Charles was serious when he spoke, "Will, there's nothing that you can do. The board is going to meet on Monday and Thomas Bennet will be prosecuted for embezzlement."

"Charles, I've got to go see Mr. Bennet."

"What are you going to do?" Bingley asked uncertainly, wondering what his boss's intentions were.

"If she gives me the right answer, I might be able to take care of this." Will said mysteriously and walked from the room.

"Don't you mean he?" Bingley responded to an empty office.

Darcy strode into Mr. Bennet's office with an intensity that frightened the older man. "What can I do for you sir."

"The auditors have found out about the money." Darcy stated and Thomas Bennet slumped in his chair with defeat.

"I was afraid they might." The older man didn't even try to deny the truth.

"I've got a deal for you." Will said quietly, "I will replace the money for you if your daughter Elizabeth agrees to fly to Las Vegas with me this weekend, where we'll get married."

"But she's still in school." Thomas Bennet protested.

"I know but that can't be helped." Darcy explained, "The board is meeting on Monday and they will prosecute you. With you as my father-in-law they wouldn't want to drag my name through the mud because it would be bad for Pemberly Winery. I know this is unorthodox but it's the only way I can think of to stop you from going to jail."

"Why do you care if I go to jail?"

"Because I love Elizabeth and I don't want to see her or your family go through this, it would kill her."

"You've got my blessing if you can get her to agree." Her father agreed in a defeated tone.

"I've gotten to know you daughter quite well over the last month and I know that she would do anything for those she loves." He finished, "I will come by your house to meet Elizabeth after school and if she agrees, we'll get married tomorrow and on Monday, I will replace the money and talk to the board."

Mr. Bennet agreed and Will left the room with mixed emotions.

As he drove up to the Bennet home and saw Elizabeth's car in the driveway, a feeling of dread washed over him. _Elizabeth is going to hate me for this. _He squared his shoulders and walked to the door.

When Elizabeth answered, he asked her if he could speak with her in private. She led him to her father's study.

"Elizabeth," His voice was more calm than he felt, "Will you marry me?"

"Will, we've already been through this; I'm not going to marry you."

"You don't understand, Elizabeth we need to get married." His voice was desperate.

"I don't need to do anything." She was getting defensive.

"Go talk to your father; tell him that you've refused me." He commanded gently, "I'll wait here until you've talked to him."

Elizabeth located her father and said, "I've refused Mr. Darcy."

"If you don't marry him, I'll go to jail." He proceeded to explain to his daughter everything that had happened and finished with Darcy's plan to save him from jail.

"How much did you take?"

"I'm not sure but they already know about at least two hundred thousand."

"How are we ever going to repay that amount?"

"We can't and even if we could the board would still prosecute me and I would go to jail for the rest of my life. The only thing that can save me from that is if you marry Will Darcy this weekend."

"We don't have to get married, if we were engaged." Elizabeth tried to come up with another plan.

"It wouldn't work because you wouldn't be a Darcy and I wouldn't be his father-in-law. You've got to remember that the board has worked really hard to make Pemberly Winery synonymous with the Darcy family. You know family values and that sort of thing. To prosecute a member of his extended family would be unacceptable to them. It would in effect bring down the company." The sadness in his eyes was evident as he looked at his daughter, "Marrying Darcy is the only way that you can keep me out of jail."

Elizabeth nodded her head before she left her father, walked back to the study and told Will, "Okay, I'll marry you."

He pulled her to him in an embrace, "Elizabeth, I love you." He released her and pulled an engagement ring from his jacket pocket. With shaking fingers, he placed the ring on her finger. She didn't even notice the beautiful diamond ring surrounded by emeralds to match her eyes in a setting that Will had especially designed for her.

Once she agreed and the ring was on her finger Will was full of manic energy making plans, "You go upstairs and pack. Bring the white dress that you wore to the Christmas party; you can get married in that. I'll go home and get Georgie; I'll call and get the winery's jet fueled and ready to go in an hour."

She nodded her head in a daze, left the room and walked upstairs to pack.

Will was worried by her reaction but at least she hadn't yelled at him._ She'll come around and we'll be happy together, we'll be a family._


	7. Chapter 7

Will for the second time that day knocked on the Bennets front door. Mrs. Bennet answered the door and gave a very confused Darcy a hug.

"I knew you were in love with my daughter, I'm so happy for both of you."

Elizabeth interrupted her mother, "I'm ready."

"Let me get your bag while you say goodbye to your family."

After a tearful goodbye to her father and Jane, Elizabeth said goodbye to her mother and younger sisters.

As they walked toward the car Darcy said, "I didn't tell Georgie the circumstances behind our marriage and I would rather she didn't know."

"Yeah," Elizabeth agreed, "I think that's for the best."

Georgie jumped out of the car and hugged Elizabeth, "I'm so happy for you two. I knew from the beginning that you belonged together."

The trip to the airport was quick and when they boarded the private plane, Elizabeth was amazed. "This is what we're taking to Las Vegas?"

"Isn't it fabulous." Georgie agreed as she showed Elizabeth around, "There's even a bedroom in the back."

"We're all ready to take off." Will came back from talking to the captain.

"I can't believe we have this whole plane all to ourselves." Elizabeth said a bit overwhelmed by the luxurious plane.

Once they were in the air, Elizabeth found herself so emotional drained that she drooped from exhaustion. Will noticed how tired she was and suggested, "Why don't you lie down in the bedroom, it'll be a while before we get to Vegas."

Elizabeth agreed, made her way to the bedroom, crawled into the bed and fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. Will smiled down at her when he checked in on her and saw her sleeping soundly. He couldn't resist climbing in beside her and holding her while she slept._ He couldn't believe that after the heartache of the last week that in a few hours she would be his wife. She's finally going to be mine._

When Elizabeth woke up she was snuggled against Will's chest with his arm wrapped around her as he slept. When she moved to slip out of bed Will woke up, "Don't go." He said in a sleepy voice as he pulled her against him.

"I have to use the bathroom." She said as she got out of bed and left the room. He watched her walk away with a prayer in his heart that everything would be alright.

When they landed in Las Vegas, a car was waiting for them at the airport to take them to their hotel. Will checked them in at the front desk and asked the concierge to make arrangements for their wedding the next day.

Once they had settled into their suite and unpacked, Will took Elizabeth to get their marriage license.

"Elizabeth," Will said once they had the marriage license. He wanted to explain but he didn't know how to start so he said lamely instead, "How are you holding up?"

"I'm fine." She looked up at him but she really didn't want to talk right now and changed the subject, "We'd better get back to the hotel, I'm sure that Georgie is starving by now."

Georgie dominated the dinner conversation as the other two were anything but talkative. When they were back at the suite Georgie and Lizzie listened to music and chatted.

"Elizabeth, can I talk to you for a minute?" Will asked when he looked into their bedroom.

"Sure." Elizabeth got up and followed him.

He came directly to the point, "You know that we don't have a choice about this right?"

"Yes, I understand." Her voice was thick with emotion.

"Do you hate me?" He had to know the truth.

"No." Tears slid down her face as the intense feelings of the day caught up with her.

Will gathered her in his arms to comfort her. "This isn't the way I wanted to marry you but you know I love you and will do anything to make you happy."

"I know you do." Her eyes were filled with emotion, "I'm not trying to make you feel bad but my world just got demolished and I just need a little time to adjust to my new reality." Her voice was shaky, "In one moment, I lost everything I've ever known, my home, my family and when I go back to school, I'll be Mrs. Darcy. I just need time to get used to this."

"I'll give you all the time you need, I promise." Will pulled her closer and kissed the top of her head, "But you didn't lose all of that you just gained a new home, a new family and Georgie and I both love you." The depth of his feelings were evident as he added in a ragged voice, "I hope that being Mrs. Darcy won't be that much of a hardship for you."

Lizzie looked up into his expressive eyes and saw the raw emotion and she placed a soft kiss on his lips. Will responded by increasing the pressure to her lips and explored her mouth with his tongue and felt her respond as she tasted his lips and mouth with hers. He released her mouth and drew back a little until he could see the desire in her eyes.

Looking into her soon-to-be husband's face, a sudden wave of panic came over her and she had to ask, "Will our marriage really keep my father out of jail?" She asked in a voice that cracked with fear.

"Yes, I'll make sure of it." He assured her, "You know I'm used to getting my own way and the world really does revolve around me." He smiled gently at her.

"You can't make me laugh, it's not fair." She chastised him as she gulped back tears.

"I can't guarantee that I won't." He looked down at her tear stained face, "Because I truly love to see you laugh."

She laughed and shook her head, "You really are one of a kind and I thank you." She kissed him on the cheek, "I'm going to go wash my face; I don't want my new sister to think that you're mistreating me already."

He appreciated her attempt at a joke and laughed, "Go on, I'm going to go say goodnight to Georgie. We should probably get to bed as tomorrow is our wedding day." He winked at her with a smile.

"You could use all of the beauty sleep you can get." She said pointedly as she couldn't help but tease him a little and with a quick motion, she locked herself in the bathroom before he could retaliate.

He knocked on the door politely and she answered feigning innocence, "Yes."

"You can count on the fact that I will eventually get my revenge." She heard him laugh as he walked away.

She smiled into the mirror as she washed her face, brushed her teeth and got ready for bed.

When she got back to their bedroom, Georgie was changed and already in bed, "What did Will want to talk to you about?"

She was once again put in a position where she had to tell Georgie a tiny little lie, "He just wanted to make sure that we all of our documentation for the wedding tomorrow."

Georgie turned in bed to look at Elizabeth, "Lizzie, I'm so glad that everything worked out between you and Will. It was obvious from the first that you two were meant for each other and I'm so happy that you're going to be my sister."

"I'm glad you're going to be my sister too." After the emotionally charged day, Elizabeth was exhausted and fell asleep right away.

Everything was hectic the next morning as Georgie helped Elizabeth get ready and when they got to the wedding chapel Elizabeth felt like she was going to faint. She somehow managed to walk down the aisle to Will.

When he saw her, he was amazed by her beauty. She wore the white dress and her dark hair was cascading down her shoulders in flowing curls, just as he loved it. She was so lovely; he couldn't believe that she would soon be his.

The wedding was brief and Georgie was their only witness. After the ceremony, the couple stood for photos for a long time because Georgie was determined to document the wedding for future generations.

They headed back to the hotel to change and decide what they would do for the rest of the day.

"If you two need some privacy," Georgie offered with a wink, "I can make myself scarce; I've got my headphones so you can be as loud as you want."

She was vindicated as her brother and Elizabeth both blushed red. "There's no need for that quite yet." Will informed her.

"Just let me know and I'll pull a disappearing act."

"We could go to the casino and gamble;" Will suggested to Elizabeth, "you've never been gambling before have you?"

She laughed and teased him at his error, "No Mr. Darcy, I've never been gambling because I'm not 21."

He kissed her and said, "Well, Mrs. Darcy, I guess going to the clubs and drinking is out as well."

"One of the disadvantages to marrying so young in Las Vegas, I guess." Elizabeth laughed, "I can't experience the sins of sin city."

"Let's see…" Georgie joked with her brother, "We could run around in the streets or how about jumping on the beds cause you know that's what little kids do."

Elizabeth joined in the fun, "We probably shouldn't run in the streets, this is Vegas," She looked her new husband in the eyes and smiled archly, "Now jumping on the bed sounds like a great idea, come on." She grabbed Georgie's hand and made for Will's bedroom. "There's a nice big bed in here to jump on."

The two girls leaped onto the bed and laughed as they bounced. Will just shook his head and grinned, "Well if you can't beat them, join them." He kicked off his shoes and began to jump on the bed himself. There was a great deal of laughter, flailing limbs and when Elizabeth was bounced off balance she ended up in Will's arms and he dropped to the bed with her wrapped around him.

Will whispered, "If I knew this was all it would take to get you into my bed, I would have tried this a long time ago." He eyed her with desire flickering in their depths, "If you want to experience one of the sins of sin city," His wolfish grin caught her and he kissed her gently, "I can help you with that."

"My brother's always been so old; it's good to see him acting like a kid." Georgie dropped to the bed and ruffled Will's hair.

"Will had to take on a lot of responsibility from a very young age so it was only natural for him to lose a little of his childhood." Elizabeth looked up into the face of her husband who still held her tight, "It must have been a sacrifice to raise you and run the company too."

Will looked at Elizabeth with an intense stare; _she understands what I've gone through. Maybe she's starting to love me. He hoped with all his heart that it was true._

Georgie hugged Will and kissed his cheek. "Thank you William," she whispered, "and thank you for Elizabeth too."

"You're welcome, Munchkin," He patted his sister's head. _This felt so right to him,_ h_aving Elizabeth as part of his family as if she had always belonged with him by his side._ He looked at them both and said, "We should go and find some of those family attractions that Vegas has become known for and play tourist for a little while."

The new family spent the rest of the day at the Adventure Dome in Circus Circus and the only time there was a tense moment was when the ride operator, who was flirting with Elizabeth, asked if Will was going to join his daughters on the ride.

In response, Will kissed his wife passionately and said, "Yes, I will be accompanying my wife and my sister on the ride." The operator looked embarrassed and ushered them quickly onto the ride.

Once they got off the ride, Will's disposition seemed to have deteriorated and he had a scowl on his face.

Lizzie was conscious of the problem and slipped into his arms and asked, "You didn't take what that kid said seriously?" He narrowed his eyes at her, "You don't look old enough to be my father and the kid wasn't really paying attention to you."

"Yeah, he was too busy flirting with you." Will scowled as he looked away from her, his mood suddenly sullen.

Lizzie ran her hand up his chest with slow seductive strokes and she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him toward her with her voice low and silky in his ear, "You don't care what some dumb kid said do you." She moved to kiss the sensitive area of his neck and she said, "You should care more about my opinion and I think you're incredibly sexy."

Will groaned with excitement, picked Lizzie up into his arms and he kissed her until she couldn't think, "I like the way you think," His voice was deep with desire as he dragged his lips away from her, "We got married today, didn't we?"

"You have the marriage certificate to prove it." Elizabeth said with an arch of her eyebrow and pulled herself away from him. "But I think we're causing a scene."

"I don't care." Will was vehement as he pulled her back.

"You guys are really embarrassing." Georgie said with a smile that showed her enjoyment of the affection shown between Lizzie and Will.

After that they went to see the Botanical Cactus Garden. Elizabeth and Georgie fell back into their normal routine of teasing Will but he took it all in stride and would just take hold of his wife's hand and kiss her.

When they returned to the hotel, they called for room service and had an enjoyable meal in each other's company. After dinner, Georgie left Elizabeth and Will alone on their wedding night.

As Will walked Elizabeth into their bedroom, he sensed her nervousness, "Sweetheart, I know this is all new and I won't push you to be intimate with me." He took a deep breath as he looked at her beautiful face and body, "Don't get me wrong, I want you so badly that it's going to be agony for me to wait. But I know you're not ready yet and I want to respect your wishes." He smiled at her, "So relax. Granted this isn't quite what I expected on my wedding night but at least I'll have you in my bed and in my arms."

"So what do you want to do?" Elizabeth regretted her words as she saw him smile and she rephrased the question, "What do you want to do besides that?"

"I actually liked your first question better," Will arched his eyebrows at her, "But I guess I could show you how to play poker, you know when in Vegas." Will suggested as he pulled out a deck of cards.

Elizabeth smiled and agreed quickly, "You'll have to spot me a stake."

It didn't take Will long to realize that his wife was no novice at poker, in fact she was quite a shark and won almost every game quite easily.

"Are you going to tell me how you learned to play poker so well?"

"My father had no sons and I was the only daughter who wanted to learn." She explained with a shrug of her shoulders.

"We would clean up at the tables, if you were old enough." Will's smile was effusive.

He saw Elizabeth yawn and motioned toward the big bed in the middle of the room. "Looks like you could use some sleep." While they got ready for bed, they used the bathroom companionably and Will discretely left Elizabeth alone to get changed while he went to check on Georgie.

She was in bed reading when he got back and he climbed into bed beside her. He pulled the book from her hands and she looked at him puzzled.

"I at least want to talk to my wife on our wedding night."

"What do you want to talk about?"

"Umm," He had a hard time concentrating on talking when that was really the last thing he wanted to do right now and he finally asked ineptly, "How are your studies going for the finals?"

Elizabeth started laughing and Will asked, "What's so funny?"

She gulped down her laughter and explained, "Here we are on our wedding night and you are asking your wife of a few hours about her study habits" She giggled, "Next thing I know, you'll be checking my report card and maybe even grounding me by taking away my I-pod or my computer."

Will understood the absurdity of the situation, so he laughed and asked suddenly, "Wait can I do that?" She looked at him confused, "Because if I can ground you, I'm going to ground you to our bedroom and have my way with you." There was a roguish gleam in his eyes.

"This conversation has taken a very weird turn." Elizabeth shook her head with a smile.

"Wait a minute," Will winked at her and pulled her close, "If you're really naughty, I could even spank you, I think I'd really enjoy that."

"Remember, I've taken down bigger men than you." She warned with a flash in her eyes.

"I'd probably enjoy that too." Will countered her response with a kiss.

"And with that, goodnight." She said as she turned over onto her side with her back to him.

"I'll give you this one." He said as pressed himself to her and wrapped his arm around her waist. "Hey what are you wearing?"

"What I always sleep in a tee shirt and pajama bottoms." She answered.

"I want to feel your bare skin so at least you can take off the bottoms." Will was so insistent that she finally relented and removed the offending pajama bottoms.

"That's better." He said as he ran his hand up her bare leg to her bottom and moved up under the oversized tee shirt to her round firm breasts.

"Will, I'm trying to go to sleep."

He smiled in the dark and kissed her ear, "Okay, goodnight sweetheart." He snuggled himself against her and possessively threw his arm across her body.

"Hey, give me a little room." Elizabeth complained as she moved away from him.

He just slid in beside her again and once again she moved. This continued until she ran out of room on the bed and as she tried to stop herself from falling, she grabbed him and they tumbled to the floor with Will landing on top of her.

Elizabeth rolled out from underneath him and with a giggle said, "Geez, Darcy I though woman were supposed to be the snugglers in a relationship, not men."

Will stood, picked Elizabeth up and tossed her gently back onto the bed. "I just want to be near you," He gave her mock pout, "You can't begrudge me that one little thing can you?" He crawled in beside her and pulled her snuggly against his body.

"Fine, you win, now go to sleep." She laid her head against his chest which lulled her to sleep quickly. Will fell asleep with a contented smile.

The next morning, Georgie was grinning as she woke them up, "Good morning sleepy heads. Hope you had a good night."

"Georgie what are you doing in here?" Will admonished his sister.

"We just got a call from the front desk and our car will be here in an hour to take us to the airport." Georgie told him with a giggle. "I suppose you two were so worn out from last night that you didn't even hear the phone."

"Leave us." Will growled with a smile, "You wretched girl." He looked at the tousled hair of his beautiful bride, "I haven't slept that good in a very long time."

Elizabeth blushed before she said haltingly, "We'd better get dressed because we still have to pack."

She slid out of bed and Will watched her as she was bent over rummaging for her cloths in the drawer, "Must admit I am enjoying the view as you look quite fetching in that tee shirt."

He laughed as Elizabeth glanced over at him and sprinted into the bathroom with her cloths and locked the door.

During the ride to the airport, Will was in a playful mood and insisted on laying his head on Elizabeth's lap. She absently stroked his hair and Georgie just smiled indulgently and thought, _this is what love looks like._


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I appreciate all of the great comments I have gotten on this story. I also want to say something funny that happened to me while writting this chapter due to the spell check program. I was writting the line "Mmm..., I love waking up next to you"... During one of the spell checks that I ran on the chapter, I must not have been paying attention and must have ok'd the changing of the word from Mmm to Mom. Yikes, here is what it read, "**_**Mom, I love waking up next to you."**_** Wow, I was horrified and started laughing because just like they say children say the darndest things, well sometimes spell check comes up with the most horrible variation imaginable. Enjoy the chapter. **

**Thank You,**

**Tina Marie**

After the flight from Las Vegas, they arrived at the Darcy's house in the afternoon. Will brought the bags up and dropped Georgie's off in her room. His and Elizabeth's suitcases he took to his room. _Their room, _he mentally corrected himself.

He left Elizabeth unpacking her clothes while he went to the study and made a call to Charles Bingley. "Will!" Charles shouted into the phone, "I've been trying to get a hold of you since Friday but you've had your phone turned off. Where the hell have you been?"

"I was in Las Vegas." Will answer was direct and to the point.

"We are in the middle of full blown crisis and you go on a gambling spree in Vegas." Bingley was yelling, "What were you thinking?"

"Charles, I got married."

"You did what!" The voice at the other end of the line was hysterical.

"Elizabeth and I got married so don't start yelling again." Will was forceful, "I am going to replace the money that Mr. Bennet took tomorrow morning."

"Why would you do that?" Bingley insisted, "I know you wanted to marry her, but now we won't be able to prosecute Bennet because he's your father-in-law."

"That was the point." Will said patiently, "Charles I know what I'm doing, trust me. I have to go, I need to make a few more phone calls but I'll see you in the morning."

It took him a few hours to complete his calls and when he was finished, he found Elizabeth and Georgie in the kitchen. Elizabeth looked very cute in an apron and she was checking something in the oven.

"Lizzie's making pizza for us." Georgie told him.

When Elizabeth stood up and turned around, he grabbed her and pulled her close with a kiss. "I didn't know you could cook."

"It never came up." Elizabeth smiled, "My mom certainly doesn't cook and to survive in our house I had to learn or starve."

"Speaking of your mother, did you call you parents and let them know we were back?"

"Yeah, I talked to Dad."

After they were done with dinner and the dishwasher was loaded, Will ushered her into the living room while Georgie made herself scarce.

He sat on the sofa and pulled her onto his lap. He claimed her lips with a passionate fervor and Elizabeth responded as she kissed him with abandon. His excitement grew as he met her desire with his own. He reveled at the taste of her and pushed for more as her responses grew more passionate. She tugged at his shirt and pulled it from his waistband as she moved her hands up his warm back, she pressed herself against him.

She leaned back as her hands moved to his abdomen and worked their way up to the hard muscled chest.

His heart was racing and his breathing heavy as he caught her hands and lifted them to his lips for a kiss. "Sweetheart, we've got to stop, we're moving onto dangerous ground." He saw his dark desire mirrored in her eyes, "You're my wife and I'm having a hard time remembering why we're not supposed to do this." He tried to calm his breathing, "You don't know how much I want you but I know you're not ready." His eyes spoke to her of love as he said, "Last week after the dance when you wouldn't talk to me that was horrible and I missed you so much. I didn't know if you'd ever forgive me."

She took his face in her hands and kissed him softly, "Of course, I've forgiven you. I'm so grateful for everything you've done for my father. I don't know how to repay you." She took his hands and put them on her hips, "You are the most wonderful man and you've put my feelings ahead of yours even when I'm giving you all the wrong signals."

"Elizabeth, I don't want your gratitude." Will said his expressive eyes overflowing with his feelings, "I've loved you for so long and that's what I want, I want your love."

"I know." Elizabeth said quietly, "Just be patient with me, please."

"Okay." Will agreed, "Come on, let's go to bed."

"I thought we just established that…"

"Let's go to bed and sleep." Will qualified, "Just make sure you wear just the tee shirt tonight." He winked at her, "You are incredibly sexy in that shirt."

"You are hopeless." She shook her head as he picked her up and carried her to their room.

In the morning, Will woke Elizabeth when he kissed her and pulled her close to him. "Mmm… I love waking up with you next to me." He said as he nuzzled her neck.

His lips found the hollow of her throat and she arched herself toward him. Will caressed her leg as he moved higher to her bottom and as he raised her shirt, he positioned his body between her thighs. His lips sought the roundness of her breast and she moaned in response.

With a finger, he hooked her panties and started to tug them down. She opened her eyes and sighed, "Will, I'm so sorry."

"This is even harder than I thought it would be." Will said as he moved away from his wife.

Elizabeth wanted to release some of the sexual tension and teased him, "How hard did you want it to be." She glanced down to where his erection was still in evidence.

"You are delightful." He gave her a quick kiss before he got out of bed and pulled her with him. "I love that sexy bottom of yours and a spanking isn't out of the question." He arched his eyebrows at her.

"Isn't there somewhere you need to be this morning?" She teased him with a smile.

"Yes, I need to go to work." He answered, "But you have to go with me."

"What is this take your wife to work day?" She asked with cheekiness.

"Such insolence," He grinned, "Just wait until tonight."

"So why do I need to go to work with you today?"

"I need to take you to meet with the board and I'm also taking our marriage certificate."

"Oh," Elizabeth moved to get dressed, "I wasn't thinking about that."

He turned her and pulled her in his arms to comfort her, "It'll be alright, I promise."

Elizabeth dressed with care for her meeting with the board. When she came downstairs, Will was ready to go and he smiled at her. "They're going to love you."

When they arrived at the winery, Will took her to his office where he got busy and transferred the money from his personal account to the wineries account. Once that was completed, he had to explain to Elizabeth the arrangements he had made regarding her father's position at his company. "I want you to understand what I have done to ensure your father's continued employment in this company." He took a breath and finished, "I've moved him under my direct supervision, in his new position he will have no access to money and he will have to report to me on everything."

When Elizabeth looked at him, he saw that her eyes were glistening with unshed tears, "Elizabeth what's wrong?"

"Nothing," She said with a sniff, "I just didn't expect this. I'm so grateful for my father."

"I just want you to be happy." With a sigh, she threw her arms around his neck as she pulled him down to kiss her. He let his hands slip down to cup her rear end and he secured her against his body while he captured her lips in a seductively feverish kiss. Her breath was intensely heated as she returned his passionate desire. With a moan, he picked her up, carried her to his sofa and lowered her onto the cushions. He settled himself on top of her and felt his need for her rise as she drew him closer to her and ran her fingers along his back until she began to loosen his tie and then to work at the buttons on his shirt. She slipped her hand under his shirt and felt the warm hardness of his chest. His hands slid under her skirt and he moved his hands up her thighs toward her hips.

Someone cleared his throat behind them as the couple looked up to see who had intruded on their privacy.

With irritation due to the interruption of his time with Elizabeth, Will asked, "Charles, what are you doing here?" His annoyance grew as he saw the smirk on his friend's face.

"I'm catching you two in a compromising position, obviously." He answered sarcastically.

Elizabeth smiled as she moved herself into a sitting position and said, "I think he's got us there." She chuckled, "We must have forgotten to lock the door."

Elizabeth stood up and pulled a reluctant Will up until he was able to take her in his arms.

"Ahh Umm," Bingley cleared his throat, "The reason I'm here is that the board is ready for you." Bingley said as he nodded toward the conference room, "But you two should probably make yourself presentable before you join them." He flicked his eyes toward their disheveled appearance.

Elizabeth moved out of Will's arms and buttoned his shirt then pulled his tie back into position, "I guess there's no time like the present." She said with a nervous giggle as she tucked in her blouse and smoothed her skirt.

Will put his arm around her waist, smiled and kissed the top of her head, "We're facing this together, so don't worry my love."

She could read the love in his eyes and his strength fortified her, "I'm ready." She said as she straightened her shoulders and stood to her full height.

Will picked up a file from his desk and walked Elizabeth down the hall to the conference room and with a hand on the small of her back guided her into the room.

The board members were assembled and Will introduced Elizabeth officially to Thomas Cooper, Richard Martin and Harry Ballard. "This is my wife, Elizabeth Darcy."

Elizabeth was a little disconcerted at being introduced by her married name and glanced at her new husband for support. He squeezed her hand in reassurance and she smiled at each man in turn as she remembered being introduced to these men briefly at the Christmas party. "It's nice to see you again."

After the niceties had been completed, Harry Ballard took control of the meeting and looked Will directly in the eyes as he asked, "Why did you marry this girl?"

"I'm in love her and have been for a long time." Will held the older man's gaze without backing down, "We had been dating for a while and I asked her to marry me on the night of the Christmas party and when she agreed, we didn't see any reason to wait."

There was gentleness in Tom Cooper's voice as he asked Elizabeth, "What about you, young lady, do you love Will?"

Elizabeth felt Will shift slightly and she glanced up at him through her eyelashes and said in all truthfulness, "I've always been determined that nothing but the deepest love would ever induce me into marriage."

"Very clever, but you didn't answer the question, Mrs. Darcy." Harry was quick to point out, "Do you love Will?"

"Yes," Elizabeth answered in a small voice, "I love him very much." She hated the necessity to lie but it couldn't be helped.

Richard Cooper was the next to speak, "How do we know that you will not dissolve this marriage as soon as we agree not to press charges against her father?"

Will had his answer ready, "You have a guarantee in the fact that the statue of limitations in California for embezzlement is at least 4 years." He glanced down at Elizabeth and pulled her close to him, "If we were to get a dissolution of marriage or divorce in that time, you would still have the right to file charges."

"That is only one of your guarantees." A voice from the doorway spoke and everyone turned to see Charles Bingley entering the room. "You all saw their behavior at the Christmas party; they couldn't keep their hands off each other and that was before the embezzlement of Mr. Bennet came to light." He glanced at his boss with an evil grin, "I also just came from security and if you doubt their affection for one another, you need to watch this." He pulled a disk from behind his back and placed it in the DVD player.

As he pushed play, Elizabeth and Will each turned a very dark shade of crimson as they saw themselves on the screen. There was no sound but it very clearly showed Will and Elizabeth in the passionate encounter they had in his office this morning before Bingley had walked in and found them in a compromising position.

"There's a camera in your office?" Elizabeth gently smacked her husband on the shoulder with affection reading in her eyes, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"We've got camera's everywhere and I just forgot." Will answered with a sheepish grin.

"I guess you've got an answer for everything." Harry Ballard said, "We will agree to your proposal."

"I've got the contracts right here for signature." Will was quick to finish the negotiation, he held out the folder he had been carrying. All the parties signed the contract and the deal was done.

When all the paperwork was completed, Will started to usher Elizabeth out of the room when the voice of Tom Cooper stopped him, "What's the big hurry, I'm sure I can speak for all of us when I say that we would like to get to know your lovely wife a little better."

Will was grinning when he answered, "I'm leaving today to take my wife on a honeymoon in Paris and we have to get home to pack before our flight this afternoon."

Elizabeth was stunned when she heard this pronouncement and just stared at her husband with her mouth open. He pulled her to him and kissed her briefly, "Are you happy, I wanted to surprise you."

"Happy is not the word for what I'm feeling," Elizabeth said, "I've always wanted to go to Paris."

"I know." Will smiled with pleasure at her excitement; this is exactly the reaction he had wanted when he planned the trip.

"We won't keep you any longer than." Harry Ballard told them with a grin, "I'm sure you two want to be alone." He glanced toward the television screen which had just moments ago been playing their romantic encounter in Will's office.

Will and Elizabeth said their good-byes and as they passed Charles on the way out of the room, Will whispered to his friend slyly, "I want a copy of that."

Bingley nodded his head as he watched the couple leave. Will walked her to his car and when their privacy was assured, he kissed her and said, "I didn't realize how much I wanted to hear you say that you loved me until you said it to the board members." He saw her face go pale and he said, "I know that was for the board's sake but I liked the sound of it anyway. I don't mean to put any undue pressure on you, but my dream is to hear it for real someday soon."

"Thank you for understanding." Elizabeth said as she leaned across the seat to kiss the man who was her husband.

When she settled into her seat, Will started the car and drove toward home, "You're going to love Paris."


	9. Chapter 9

The night before they left for their honeymoon, Will had made arrangements for Georgie to spend time with his Aunt and Uncle Fitzwilliam. They were happy to have Georgie with them for the holidays. They had been curious about Will's new bride but knew that they would be able to find out all they needed from Georgie. Will promised to bring Elizabeth to meet the family after their honeymoon.

On the twelve hour flight to Paris, Will and Elizabeth read books and talked about everything until Elizabeth fell asleep on Will's shoulder. She woke up when they arrived in Paris. They made their way through the airport and were ushered into a waiting car; Elizabeth found out that Will had booked them into the Ritz in Paris. Will had the driver take them by the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe and Notre Dame Cathedral before dropping them off at their hotel. Elizabeth was tired but amazed and intrigued by the sights and vowed to see all of them as well as the Louvre. Will expressed an interest in going to Loire Valley to tour the wineries and Elizabeth wanted to see Versailles.

Once the couple arrived at the Ritz and checked into their room, they crawled into bed and slept off their jetlag and woke the next morning wrapped in each other's arms.

Will was excited to take his wife shopping in Paris but she wasn't as enthusiastic. He had to pull her out of bed reluctantly and make sure she got dressed.

"I don't understand your resistance, most woman love to shop." Will said as they walked out of the hotel room.

"I'm not most women." Elizabeth narrowed her eyes and glared at him, "As you surely have realized by now."

"I know very well that there's no one else like you in this world." He bent to kiss her as they left the hotel, "and you're all mine."

Elizabeth just shook her head and rolled her eyes at Will and she knew this was going to be a very long day.

Her patience was wearing thin and after she had tried on the umpteenth designer outfit for him she was getting a little frustrated, "Will, there is no need for all of this. I'm not really into clothes, as long as I have my old t-shirt, jeans and tennis shoes; I'm happy."

"That's great and I appreciate that quality in you but you're my wife now and I want to buy you beautiful things."_ I love you and I want to spoil you._ He kissed her, "It makes me happy, please let me have this small indulgence."

"Small indulgence," Elizabeth scoffed, "You're going to have to pay for two extra bags on the way home with all of the clothes you've purchased for me so far."

"We can afford it." He smiled, and when he glanced up he saw the most beautiful gown. It was a classically simple silky black and red gown that he was sure would look incredible with the dark hair and light skin of his lovely wife.

"I want you to try on this."

"Okay," She agreed, "But this is the last one."

"You've got it."

When she tried on the gown and came to model it for him, he realized that he was right. It was the perfect compliment for his wife's complexion. He told the sales clerk, "Add this dress to the rest of our purchases."

After they had finished up, he couldn't resist taking her to a lingerie shop. Elizabeth was extremely embarrassed when he bought her all sorts of lacy creations.

He voice was silky as he whispered, "You'll have to model these for me when we get back to the hotel."

She looked at him and tilted her head as she shook it in the negative. "I don't think that would be such a great idea."

He pulled her to him and kissed her, "I think it's a brilliant idea." He picked up a particularly sensual bra and panty set and said, "I especially want to see you in these."

He purchased everything he wanted for her and they left the store. To Elizabeth's chagrin the next stop was a jewelry store.

"Will, I don't need any more jewelry," Elizabeth was getting annoyed, "You've bought me enough already."

"I've heard that a woman can never have enough jewelry or shoes." A thought struck him, "We haven't gotten you any shoes and you definitely need shoes.

"Oh God, no more shopping please, I don't think I can take any more." She pleaded as she turned her eyes skyward.

Will just laughed and led her into the jewelry store and after he had finished buying her the most beautiful creations. He dragged a reluctant Elizabeth to a shoe store where he made sure that the staff jumped at her every wish.

"Did you have to buy the store out of products?" Elizabeth complained as they left the shoe store.

When Will finally felt they had done enough shopping he took her back to the hotel and dropped off the packages they had taken with them and as it was just dusk, Will took her back out to see the beauty of the Eiffel Tower when it was all lighted up at night.

Elizabeth was in awe of the impressive sight but as she looked over at her husband, she saw that Will was looking at her not at the tower. She felt a tingling through her body as she appraised him in the lights from the tower. She felt an overwhelming urge to touch and kiss him. She reached up and ran her fingers over his face in a soft caress. With a sudden understanding, she realized that she had always been attracted to him even when she didn't want to be. She had felt drawn to him when they had first met and had thought he felt the same when he had flirted with her so shamelessly. She had felt hurt and angry because of his remarks to Mr. Bingley that night but it hadn't stopped her body's natural reaction to his masculinity. When they had met again, her anger had masked her desire and had helped to fight her reaction to his intimacies. _She felt a desperate longing for his touch and wanted him to make her his._ Her need was overwhelming her good sense and she wondered if this was the way he felt about her all this time. She disregarded her better reason and lifted herself onto her toes and kissed him. He enfolded her in his arms and kissed her back until she felt he knees go weak.

"Are you ready to go back to the hotel?" Will asked her in a husky voice.

She just nodded because she couldn't trust herself to speak. He pulled her to him and called a cab to take them back to the hotel.

When they arrived back at the Ritz, Elizabeth was exhausted, emotional and had a lot think about. She threw herself on the bed and Will came and sat next to her.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

"Yes, I'm fine," She turned to look at him, "I'm just tired, after all the shops you dragged me to it's only natural."

He laughed and Elizabeth smiled at him. _I love when he laughs. He's always good-looking but when smiles or laughs he's absolutely gorgeous because it lights up his face and his piercing blue eyes. That just makes me want him more._

"Elizabeth," Will looked at her with a crooked smile, "Did you hear what I said, you seem like you're a million miles away."

"I was just thinking." She said truthfully._ I don't know how to tell him what I want._

"What were you thinking about?" He asked with a shift of his shoulders.

"How I love it when you laugh." Her answer was not completely truthful.

Will was encouraged by her answer, "I love it when you laugh too." Will caught her eyes, "I love everything about you."

He brushed the hair out of her eyes in a loving gesture. He ran his hand through her luxurious dark curls. He lay down on the bed and pulled her on top of him. She sat back with her legs straddling his waist. When he tried to pull her down to him, she shook her head and pinned his hands beneath her knees. She bent and very slowly unbuttoned his shirt, after each button she softly traced the contours of his chest with her fingers. She heard small gasps of pleasure when her lips traced the same path. When she had his shirt halfway unbuttoned, she moved her fingers to the button on his pants and the moan that escaped from Will in an exhale of breath that urged on her actions. She slid the zipper down and his libido was kicked into high gear.

She moved back to the buttons of his shirt and when she was finished, she removed his shirt and stroked his chest with her fingertips. She heard his raspy breathing and bent to kiss him lightly on the lips. His heart began to race as he felt her tongue slip between his lips and she explored the depths of his mouth. He kissed her back in response and he was enthralled by the sweetness of her.

With a moan, he flipped her over onto her back and she wrapped her legs around his waist giving him full access to her body. She raked her nails over his back lightly as he groaned with his arousal. She tugged at his pants and tried to pull them over his hips and he kissed her with such passion that it drove every thought from her mind.

Will dragged himself away from her with a groan of frustration, "God Elizabeth, we can't." He sat up with his head in his hands. With an incomprehensible sound he stood up, zipped and buttoned his pants then he paced the room until he picked up his shirt and redressed.

He left the room and a few minutes later she heard the outer door open and close. She got up from the bed and there was brightness to her eyes from unshed tears. She wiped at her eyes and went into the bathroom to run a hot bath. _Why didn't Will want her anymore? Was his love so fleeting that he had become bored with their marriage already. She had tried to seduce him and he pushed her away. _She didn't know how long she was soaking in the bath but she finally heard the door open and Will came in to find her.

"Will, I'm in the bath," She cried as she grabbed a towel to cover herself, "Get out so I can get dressed."

Will didn't move he just stared at her in the bathtub. _He wished he could join her in the bath and make love to her but he'd made a promise not to rush her. _He turned to leave the room and shut the door behind him.

When they went out to dinner that night, Will noticed that Elizabeth seemed sad and he knew why. _She's upset because I tried to force myself on her when we got back from the Eiffel Tower. How could I have been so stupid? I want to win her love and because of my own actions, I keep pushing her farther away._

That night when they went to bed, Will noticed that she wore one of the sexy chemises he had bought her that afternoon. His heart raced as his thoughts took him back to their experience earlier and he fought to control his reactions. He pulled her into his arms and loved the feel of the soft fabric on his skin.

"Elizabeth, sweetheart…" He heard her uneven breathing and knew she was still awake, "Please talk to me."

"I'm trying to sleep." She pulled out of his arms and turned over onto her side.

He cringed as she turned away from him and felt a wrench of his heart. How was he going to get her to forgive him? _I've known for a long time that I can make her react to me physically but I can't let myself get carried away and take advantage of her feelings like I did earlier. I can't do that again, _he vowed. _She'll let me know when she is ready and until then I have to wait for her to come to me._


	10. Chapter 10

The next few days the couple spent their days taking in all of the wonderful sights that Paris had to offer. Will had taken Elizabeth to Loire Valley to visit the wineries and they had also visited Versailles which enchanted Elizabeth. Will had been a perfect gentleman and kept his displays of affection to a minimum when they were alone so that he did not lose control of his reactions again.

On Christmas day, Will decided to take his wife on a romantic walk along the Seine. Elizabeth was delighted by the sights and she couldn't help but stop to spin around in the middle of the path like a little girl with her arms spread wide. Will was enchanted by his wife and couldn't take his eyes off her.

As Will walked back toward Elizabeth, she was approached by a couple of strangers.

"We were hoping that you could direct us to the Arc de Triomphe." The woman asked.

Elizabeth gave them directions and the woman said, "You're American."

"Yes." Will answered as he approached.

"We are too, I'm Bonnie Nunley and this is my son Chad," she pointed to the young man who was talking to Elizabeth. The woman appraised Will's appearance with evident pleasure.

"We're from southern California." Bonnie chattered away.

"How nice," Will was distracted as he watched the young man brazenly flirting with his wife.

"Where are you from?" She asked as she tried to engage Will in conversation.

"We're from Napa, California." Will answered not really paying attention to the woman as he was still engrossed in watching the interaction between Elizabeth and the boy as his jealousy started to grow.

"You daughter and my son are such a cute couple." The woman said, "We should take them out on a double date, I know a very romantic restaurant." Bonnie was outrageously flirting with Will as she touched his shoulder in an intimate manner and with a flirty smile she batted her eyelashes and said, "You know it seems like kismet for us Californian's to meet up in Paris of all places like it was meant to be or something."

"Or something would be my guess," Will said caustically as he pulled away from the woman and walked to Elizabeth, "I'm Will Darcy and this is my wife, Elizabeth." He deliberately wrapped his arms around Elizabeth and with a long lingering kiss he claimed her in a possessive gesture. "We're on our honeymoon."

"She's your wife… your married… your honeymoon… but she's just a child." The woman was inarticulate at the shock but she finally managed to say a bit too politely, "How nice for you." She dragged her reluctant son down the path.

"Oh Mom but she's cute." Chad whined at his mother as he turned back to stare at Elizabeth and then Bonnie whispered angrily to her son as she pulled him along with her.

"You are a cruel man." Elizabeth giggled as she watched them walk away.

"That's why you married me." Will laughed as he saw the look of amusement cross Elizabeth's face.

"No, I married you for your body." Her smile was expressive.

Will looked into her eyes and saw desire in the depth and he claimed her lips as he kissed her with a ferocity that left her breathless.

He released her but kept his arm around her waist as they finished their walk. When they got back to their room at the Ritz, Will told her that he was taking her out that night to the theatre and then to dinner.

"Wear the red and black dress I bought for you." His eyes held the promise of love, "It would be perfect for tonight."

She dressed with care that evening and made sure that she looked amazing. When she came out, Will caught his breath as he saw her, _she looks so damn sexy_, he just wanted to forget the romantic night he had planned and pick her up, carry her into their bedroom and make love to her all night long.

He ignored his baser instincts and pulled out a jeweler's box that opened to reveal a ruby and diamond necklace with earrings to match. Elizabeth's face was stunned, "Will, this is too much."

"No it's not," Will slipped the necklace on her, "You deserve this and so much more." He feathered light kisses along her neck and ears as he took out the earrings. He handed her the earrings and she sat at the vanity to put them through her ears and fastened them with a quick movement.

He came up behind her, wrapped his arms around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head. "You are so beautiful, I love you so much."

"Thank you." She stood and turned as she slid into his arms with a kiss.

"Elizabeth," He growled in her ear, "Are you wearing the lingerie that I bought for you?"

"Partially." She grinned as she moved away from him and picked up her purse.

"What." Will was quizzical as he looked at her.

Elizabeth just laughed and said, "Are you ready to go?"

He took her arm and they exited their room. Will and Elizabeth both enjoyed the theatric production and afterwards had dinner at a classic French restaurant.

"That was incredible." Elizabeth said once she was finished.

"Yes." Will agreed, "But very heavy, we should probably work off our meal." He grinned as he motioned to the dance floor; he reached out his hand and walked her onto the floor where they moved together in perfect unity.

For the next dance, he pulled her into a tight embrace and held her as they moved in a small circle. His hands slid down her back to her bottom and he ran his hands along the round firmness as he pulled her closer to him. His excitement grew as his hands explored her body and with the thrill of discovery he whispered, "You're not wearing any panties."

She smiled mysteriously and moved against him in a way that confirmed his suspicions, "My God, what are you doing to me?"

"What do you think I'm doing?" She murmured against his ear.

"You're making me crazy with desire." His voice was low and husky.

"Well what do you want to do about that?" She purred seductively.

"I want to take you to bed and make love to you." He answered as he walked her off the dance floor, "What do you say about that?"

Her heart was beating fiercely in her chest as she answered, "Yes."

Will paid the check quickly and called a cab to take them back to the hotel. In the cab, he pulled her onto his lap and he kissed her with a passion that left her wanting more. After they were dropped off at the hotel and riding up in the elevator they couldn't keep their hands off each other.

When they arrived at the room, Will asked; "Elizabeth are you sure this is what you want?"

"Yes, Will I'm sure I want you." He picked her up and carried her to the bed, "Make me yours."

He lowered her onto the bed and he shed his cloths quickly, grabbed a condom and then removed her clothes before he joined her on the bed. He kissed her with a feverish ardor and couldn't get enough of her. She pulled him closer as she wrapped her legs around his waist and she moved her hips against him with a sensual rhythm. She felt his arousal as she kissed the hollow of his neck while her hands roamed over his chest. He groaned in satisfaction, moved against her and captured her lips in a kiss of desperate hunger. His tongue tasted every bit of her mouth as she responded with equal desire. He moaned and she felt the increasing hardness against her and he captured her breast with his mouth and felt her pleasure as he heard her intake of breath and the sweet sounds escaping her lips. _She's ready for me._ He couldn't wait any longer and joined their bodies together as he took possession of her. They moved together as one while the pleasure built until Will felt her shudder and they reached their peak together while a wave of pleasure that ran through them as they reached their ultimate release.

Will caressed the side of her face as he brushed the hair out of her eyes, "My sweet Elizabeth, I can't even find the words to describe what just happened." He said as he moved over onto his side and pulled her with him. "I love you so much." His kissed the dark curls that lay against her face, "I've wanted you ever since the first time I saw you."

She snuggled against him and buried her head in his chest, "That was wonderful, better than I could ever have imagined." She looked at him with a smile, "Can we do that again? The sooner the better."

He groaned, "Oh yes, just give me a little while."

"I can't believe I've waited for so long." She told him as she snuggled closer to him.

"Elizabeth," Will was not sure how to phrase the question, "When did you know that you wanted… me?"

"I'm not sure." She admitted, "I was obviously always attracted to you." She smiled as she looked into his eyes. "Even when I didn't want to be, I had been angry at you for so long that it was hard to change."

"Elizabeth, I know I hurt you and I'm sorry." He knew this was the time to confess, "What I said that night we met, I didn't mean it." He was sincere, "I was attracted to you from the moment we met but when I found out how young you were, I knew I would only scare you with my desire. I've never been able to control my reactions when it comes to you."

"Oh." Elizabeth breathed deeply and she tilted her head to look at him not sure of how to start, "Will, is that why you coerced me into dating you by going to my parents first?"

He cringed at her words, "I didn't mean to force you into dating me at first. I just called your mother to make sure that you didn't have any other plans and to get her permission." He wanted her to understand his reasoning, "After I had called her, I arranged for the roses to be sent, I was trying to be romantic." Will sighed and rolled his eyes, "I guess that's not my strong suit."

"Also for your information, it was highly inappropriate for you to send me roses to the school, it was embarrassing. I can't believe you did that and I have to be clear that is never going to happen again." Elizabeth narrowed her eyes, "Wait you said you didn't force me into dating you 'at first'. What does that mean?"

He looked her in the eyes, "You were so angry at me and refusing to see me. I needed a way to break through your wall so I took advantage of the situation, I'm sorry, Darling."

"It seems like you're always doing that as you also happily took advantage of the situation with my father." Her anger was growing by the moment, "You wanted to marry me and I refused you but now we're married. It seems you always get your way."

Will blanched at her words and the blood drained from his face, "Elizabeth, you know there was no other way."

With his words, her anger evaporated as quickly as it had appeared. "I know and I guess it's only for four years." She closed her eyes, "I guess I can manage for that amount of time."

"What do you mean four years?" Will was shocked by her words.

"The four years that we need to be married," She explained, "until the statute of limitation runs out on my father's case."

"Is that what you think," Will's shock and disappointment permeated the air, "That our marriage has an expiration date on it?"

"Yes."

"Well it doesn't." Will voice was shaking with emotion, "Our marriage is a real as it gets. I want children with you and to grow old with you. Elizabeth this isn't pretend, I love you more than you can even imagine and after what we just experienced, I can't believe you don't feel the same."

"Will, you know how I feel." Elizabeth flushed with embarrassment.

"No, I don't know how you feel," Will admitted, "And that's part of the problem. I didn't even know you wanted me."

Elizabeth laughed and Will glared at her, "Don't look at me like that," She was still giggling, "It's not my fault that you don't take hints very well." She shook her head, "I'd been trying to seduce you ever since that night at the Eiffel Tower when you turned me away."

"What do you mean?" Will sputtered, "You were trying to seduce me."

"Yes and you kept pushing me away." Elizabeth was grinning at his uncertainty, "Until the only trick I had left at my disposal was to leave my panties at home." She kissed him, "As you probably remember that one finally worked."

"Yeah, I remember that I liked it a lot." He ran his hand up her naked body as he kissed her, "I really like this."

She moved against him and said, "I like this too." She moved her hands over his body and didn't stop until she had proved her words with total conviction.

After a long night, the couple slept late the next day. When Will woke the next morning and found his wife naked in his arms, he thought back to the night of lovemaking and felt extremely happy and content.

He kissed Elizabeth awake and they made love again. When Elizabeth left her husband sleeping to take a hot bath, she found that her previously unused muscles were sore and the hot water helped.

When Will woke up, he found Elizabeth in the bath and lifted her out of the water and took great pleasure in drying her with the towel. He put her down on the bed and lowered himself to her. She slid out from underneath him and said, "Will, we can't do this 24/7, I'm still a little sore from our previous workouts."

"Sorry." He looked a little sheepish, "I've waited for you for so long that I can't seem to get enough of you."

"You're quite different from the man who kept pushing me away all week." Elizabeth teased him.

"The only reason I pushed you away was because I thought you were mad at me because I was rushing you into an intimate relationship."

"I wasn't mad," Elizabeth explained, "I was just hurt because I thought you didn't want me anymore and I thought you were tired of being married to me already."

"Nothing could have been farther from the truth." His laughed, "We were obviously working at cross purposes and misconstruing each other's actions."

"So you liked your Christmas present?" Elizabeth looked up at him through her lashes as she found his rear end with her hand and pulled him to her.

"I loved my present." Will caressed her breast, "It's the gift that really keeps on giving."


	11. Chapter 11

The marriage of Will and Elizabeth turned a corner after they were able to voice some of the things that bothered each one of them. They found that they were well matched and had no trouble filling their days and nights with enjoyable activities. Will enjoyed showing Elizabeth his favorite places in Paris and she was enthusiastic.

On their last night in Paris, Will took Elizabeth back to Eiffel Tower to see it all lit up at night for the last time on this trip. Will glanced down at Elizabeth with a loving smile, he willed her to look at him as he remembered the last time they were here. Just thinking about it excited him. He reached down to brush a stray curl out of her eyes and she glanced up at him through her lashes. His response to her was instantaneous; _she is the most beautiful woman I have ever known. I can believe how lucky I am, I get to wake up with Elizabeth in my bed every day._

She reached up and stroked his face gently as she smiled up into his eyes. He pulled her to him and as his hand cupped her bottom he pulled her to him. He lifted her off the ground and she wrapped her legs around his waist. She moved against him seductively as she drew him to her. Elizabeth reached up, put her arms around his neck and pulled his head down to her as she caught his lips. He returned her kiss with equal enthusiasm.

His breathing was harsh as focused his attention on the hollow of her neck. His hands moved under her shirt and he was excited by the feel of her warm skin.

Will glanced around at the nearly deserted area and whispered in a velvety voice, "I want you right here, right now."

"Will we can't, this is a public place," she was flushed at the thought, "and we don't have any protection with us."

"It doesn't matter." He kissed the skin under her ear, "I want to have a baby with you."

Elizabeth's head snapped up to look at him and she released him and slid to the ground to face him. "Let me get this clear, you want me to get pregnant now."

"Yes, you know I want to have children."

"But I'm still in school." Elizabeth voice was calmer than she felt.

"Even if you got pregnant now you wouldn't have the baby until after you graduate." He leaned in to kiss her but she stopped him.

"Just because the baby wouldn't be here for nine months doesn't mean there wouldn't be changes for me before the baby comes." Elizabeth was trying to control her anger, "If I were to get pregnant right now in a few months I would start to have morning sickness and that wouldn't be conducive to studying. As the pregnancy would progress there would lots of problematic changes to my body."

"Of course, that's natural." Will searched her eyes, "It would be our baby growing inside of you."

"At my graduation, I would have to waddle up onto the stage to get my diploma." Will saw the anger flash in Elizabeth's eyes, "You think that is okay."

"Well... yes."

"Well, it isn't." Elizabeth lashed out at him, "Are all men this stupid or is it just you?"

"I don't know why wanting to have a baby with you is stupid." Will protested, "I love you and I just want to start a family."

Elizabeth took a few deep breaths before she asked, "What are our children's names?"

"What." Will was astonished by the switch in subject.

"I want to know what names you've picked out for our children." She looked up at him and caught his eyes as he blushed.

"I have thought that I would like a son named after your father or mine and our daughter after my mother, Anne."

"How long have you been thinking about this?" Elizabeth asked.

"I've been dreaming of that ever since I first met you." Will answered honestly, "My dreams have always been full of you and fantasies of our life together."

"Oh."

"Elizabeth are you so eager to end this marriage that you wouldn't even consider having a family with me?" There was a sadness in his face that drew Elizabeth to him.

She realized he was thinking of her comment about their marriage only being for four years and she knew that she had to reassure him. "Will, I don't want to end our marriage."

"You might not want it to end but you also don't want to commit to our marriage enough to have a baby with me." The bitterness of unrequited love had seeped into Will's thoughts.

Elizabeth felt as though he had slapped her verbally, "I didn't say that I didn't want children with you, I just don't think that now is the right time for the reasons I've already told you."

Will looked down into her eyes and searched for the truth in her incredible green eyes, "Do you really want to have a baby with me?"

"Someday." Elizabeth qualified her agreement, "But that doesn't mean we have to stop practicing."

"Practicing…" Will looked confused for a moment until her meaning became clear, "I like practicing with you."

"Maybe if I practice enough, I will be able to trade in my amateur status for that of an expert." Elizabeth put her arms around him and moved against him."

"I can teach you anything you want to know." Will said before he kissed her, "But when it comes to me, you are certainly not an amateur."

Will hailed a cab and escorted his wife back to their hotel room.

"Teach me how to please you." Elizabeth told him as they entered their room.

"You always please me." Will said as he picked her up and gently placed her on their bed.

"I mean show me what you like." Her eyes met his with desire dark echoed in their depths.

He joined her in the bed and taught her everything she wanted to know.

In the morning, they packed and got ready for their flight. The flight was uneventful but by the time they got home; they were exhausted and went right to sleep.

Will woke up early, looked at the clock and kissed Elizabeth until she woke. She sighed and stretched before she laid her head back on his chest as she tried to go back to sleep.

"Come on sleepyhead, it's time to wake up." Will shook her as she moaned in protest. "We can't spend all day in bed; we have to pick up Georgie from my aunt and uncle."

"Okay, I'm awake." Elizabeth sat up, "I might need some coffee this morning."

"But you don't drink coffee."

"I know." Elizabeth laughed, "That's how tired I am."

"It's been a long couple of weeks." Will said.

"And you didn't let me get much sleep our last night in Paris." She smiled archly as he pulled her back to him.

"That is true but it was worth it and we probably have a little time this morning." He growled in her ear.

"We can't spend all day in bed." Elizabeth chuckled as she mimicked his words and she rolled away from him.

"You are such a tease." Will grinned as he caught her, "I'll just call my aunt and uncle, they can bring Georgie here."

After Will made the call, he turned to his wife and asked, "So where were we?" Elizabeth showed him with pleasure.

A few hours later, the Fitzwilliam's arrived with Georgie who greeted Elizabeth and Will by throwing her arms around both of them in a tight hug.

"I'm so glad you're back." Georgie said once she had released them.

"Anyone would think you hadn't liked spending time with us." Margaret Fitzwilliam teased her niece.

Georgie blushed, "You know what I mean."

"There's no place like home." Margaret filled in for her before turning to her nephew, "Are you going to introduce me to your wife?"

It was Will's turn to flush red, "Elizabeth this is my aunt, Margaret Fitzwilliam and my uncle, Donald.

"Call me Don." He said as he shook her hand, "Donald's a duck."

Elizabeth laughed and said, "It's nice to meet you Don." With a smile she offered her hand to Margaret, "It's nice to meet you too. Both Georgie and Will always have nice things to say about you."

Margaret smiled at her nephew, "We've heard a lot of great things about you from Georgie." She leaned in to whisper to Elizabeth, "Have they told you about Catherine?"

"No, is there something to tell?" Elizabeth quietly asked as she glanced to her husband.

"She is not an easy person to deal with and she has quite a temper." Margaret told her, "I would not be surprised if she were to have a problem with your marriage."

Will wanted to changed the subject and said, "Why don't I take everyone out to lunch. There's a new restaurant that I've been wanting to try."

Everyone else agreed to his suggestion and lunch was a noisy affair as Elizabeth was the center of attention.

After lunch, when the Fitzwilliam's went to leave, Don took Will aside and said, "I like her a lot, she's a great girl." He pointed to Margaret who was chatting easily with Elizabeth, "She likes Elizabeth as well and you know my wife is very particular."

Well wishes were exchanged as the Fitzwilliam's got in their car and left. Will ushered Elizabeth and Georgie into the car and drove them home.

"Who is this Catherine that Margaret told me about?" Elizabeth asked her husband.

"She was my mom's best friend." Will was flushed, "She lives in New York now and I didn't anticipate her visiting for a while."

"Why would she have a problem with our marriage?" Elizabeth was not going to be put off so easily.

"She wants me to marry her daughter, Anne."

Elizabeth raised her eyebrows, "Anne."

"She was named after our mother." Georgie told her.

When they arrived home, Elizabeth asked, "Did you want to marry Anne?"

"Obviously not, you surely know that." He pulled her into his arms, "I love you."

When Elizabeth looked up a Will with a smile and her eyes sparkling with humor, "I just wanted to hear you say it."

He whispered in her ear, "I guess I could show you how much I love you."

Georgie noticed the intimate behavior of her brother with Elizabeth and said loudly, "I'm going to my room, so don't mind me." She giggled as she left the room.

Will picked Elizabeth up and carried her upstairs to their room. He closed and locked the door before he began to undress his wife. She was wearing a pair of the lacy creations that he bought her in Paris and she looked exquisite. When he started to undress, she stopped him and slowly relieved him of his shirt. She ran her hands over the muscles of his chest before she moved to the button on his jeans. She unzipped him and caressed him lightly with her fingers. He moaned with pleasure, picked her up and dropped her onto the bed.

He shed his jeans and joined her on the bed as he settled within the comfort of her legs. He kissed her with an ardor that didn't diminish. They explored each other's mouths with abandon and as Will released her lips he lowered himself to kiss her neck. He moved down to her breast as he quickly removed her bra and took a pert nipple into his mouth.

She reveled in the feel that he evoked in her and moved against him until she felt him harden against her.

"God, I love you, you amazing woman." When their bodies joined together, they were raised to peaks of rapture as the ultimate release washed over them which left them contented and entwined together with their arms and legs.

Elizabeth watched Will sleep in the dark and felt a surge of affection for the man who was her husband.


	12. Chapter 12

After Will and Elizabeth woke the next morning, they got dressed and made their way downstairs to have some breakfast.

"So what are we going to do for New Years?" Will asked.

"I thought that we could take Georgie and go watch fireworks at our special place by the Golden Gate Bridge." Elizabeth recommended with a suggestive smile.

Will picked her up and twirled her, "That's a great idea, I love it."

"I'm also thinking that we could take a drive along the coast and watch the sunset over the ocean." Elizabeth said with a smile when her husband put her down.

"I like that idea too," Will pressed kisses along her neck and shoulder, "Sounds very romantic to me."

"You could make going to work romantic." Elizabeth laughed as she moved away from him and headed upstairs, "I'll go tell Georgie."

Georgie was excited about the proposed trip and added her own idea, "We could have a picnic along the beach."

Once they had packed a picnic basket and loaded up the car, Will drove to Sonoma County. Just about an hour later, he turned onto River Road and headed towards Jenner. There was beautiful scenery as they drove through the redwood trees towards the ocean.

Once they arrived at Goat's Rock Beach, Elizabeth insisted on taking her shoes off and jumping in the receding waves. Georgie looked at her brother and removed her shoes to join Elizabeth. Will watched them laughing and splashing in the water and couldn't resist so he decided to join them.

As he joined them, Elizabeth splashed him with a light spray of water before she ran down the beach. He chased her, caught her and picked her up. He began to tickle her and she giggled as she tried to push his hands away.

"Will, that's enough." She complained with a laugh.

He pressed a kiss on her laughing lips and tasted the salt air on her.

"You two are like a couple of teenagers." Georgie said as she ran up to them, she smiled and winked at Elizabeth, "Wait a minute, Lizzie is a teenager." She teased her brother with a grin, "But what's your excuse, old man?"

"You have created a monster." He said to Elizabeth as he kissed her, "I can't believe that you've turned my sister against me."

Elizabeth and Georgie rolled their eyes at him. "He's such a child." Elizabeth said to Georgie with a shake of her head.

It was late afternoon by the time they were ready to have their picnic lunch. Since the day was a little cold, they ate at the table bundled up with blankets covering them. Will took the opportunity to run his hands over Elizabeth's curves while they were covered in the blanket but nothing seem to escape Georgie's notice and she was grinning as she said, "Is this what I am to expect for the rest of the day?"

"Absolutely." Will said as he pulled Elizabeth onto his lap and kissed her as if to prove his point.

When it came time for sunset, Will parked on the cliff overlooking Goat's Rock. With a blanket wrapped around them Will stood pressed up against Elizabeth's back. As the most incredible sunset was happening, Will kissed her neck, then he worked his way up to her jaw and finally he turned her so that he could taste the lips of the woman he loved. His hands roamed freely over her body as she tried to control her reactions to his attentions. Elizabeth turned to face Will and from that moment, they had no other thought than pleasing each other.

"Wow that was beautiful." Georgie said as she turned to face her brother and Elizabeth, "Did you see that?" When she saw their awareness was only focused on each other she answered her own question, "No, I guess you didn't."

Once the sun had set, they packed up the car before they got in and headed south down the coast toward Bodega Bay. Will stopped in Bodega to get them some salt water taffy.

They had dinner at a small out of the way restaurant in Bodega. Afterwards they had some time so they wandered the small town and found quaint shops. Georgie and Elizabeth bought a few souvenirs before they got back on the road toward San Francisco.

It was just before midnight when they got to the bluff which overlooked the bridge, where they were going to watch the fireworks.

As they walked to the top of the hill, Will put his arm around Elizabeth's waist and asked, "Do you remember when we were here the last time?"

"Yes, I think I remember that day." Elizabeth teased, "I think some random guy brought me up here to seduce me."

"How am I going to punish you for that?" He whispered in her ear, "Maybe I could seduce you."

"Or maybe I could seduce you." She whispered to him as the fireworks started, "By the way, when you ask me to come home with you, I'm sure you will get a different answer this time." Her voice was silky, "I'm have a feeling that there will be fireworks."

She lifted her lips to meet his and they came together with an amazingly passionate kiss. When he dragged himself away, "You know how bad I am at taking hints so you're going to have to tell me what you want."

"I want you." Her voice was husky with desire. "What do you want?"

"You." He claimed her lips again with a fierce possession, "Only you."

When the fireworks ended and Georgie turned around they were still in a tight embrace, "Geez, I've reassessed my opinion, you two are worse than teenagers, you spend more time making out than any teenager I know."

"As long as I get to kiss my wife, I'll take that as a compliment." Will bantered with his sister, "Elizabeth's not complaining."

"You don't let her up for air long enough to complain." Georgie was quick with her response.

Elizabeth started to laugh and Will crinkled his nose at her but that just made her laugh harder, "You look like a rabbit when you do that."

"Wait a minute," Will said as he pulled Elizabeth toward him, "I didn't get my kiss at midnight."

He kissed her lightly and she deepened the kiss as he ran his hands up her hips.

"I'll meet you in the car when you're finished." Georgie said with a chuckle as she walked down the hill. "It's cold, so don't leave me in the car for very long."

Elizabeth pulled back and said, "She's right it's getting a little cold up here, we had better go back to the car."

"Elizabeth would you come home with me tonight?" He asked with a smile.

"I will." Elizabeth said as she kissed him. "Does that make you happy?"

"Yes," He said with an arch of his eyebrow, "so let's go." Will picked her up and carried her back to the car, placed her in the front seat before he got in the driver's seat and headed home to start a new year with his beautiful wife that he loved. He realized how much Elizabeth had changed both of their lives as Georgie had gotten the sister she's always wanted and Elizabeth was his. _I have everything that I've dreamed about for a long time, I've been blessed with love._

Elizabeth slid over next to Will and rested her head on his shoulder and he put his arm around her. _I would have never believed a few weeks ago that I could be this happy with Will as my husband._

When they arrived home, Will carried the sleeping Georgie to her room and afterwards joined Elizabeth in their bedroom. She had already changed and was in bed when he got there. He drank in her beauty with her dark hair cascading down around her shoulders and a bewitching smile on her face. He undressed quickly and slipped beneath the covers sliding close to Elizabeth. His hands moved across her body and he was delighted when he found she was wearing the t-shirt she had worn on their wedding night but nothing else.

"You certainly know how to drive me crazy with desire." Will said as he explored her body with his hands.

"It's very enjoyable." Elizabeth said as she found his place of desire and stroked him with loving care.

He hardened at her touch and she drove him to the edge of his self control. "I want you so badly; I don't think I can wait."

"I'm ready for you, too." Her voice was seductive, "I've been ready since we stood overlooking the bridge not watching the fireworks."

Will pulled her to him with a groan and showed her how much he wanted her. Elizabeth met his desire and matched it with her own as they celebrated the New Year in a very intimate way.

It was late the next morning before the two lovers woke up.

"So what are we going to do today?" Will asked as he kissed Elizabeth.

"I don't know what you are going to do," Elizabeth said, "But I have a paper due for English class tomorrow because I've put it off for the whole holiday." She grinned at him, "Someone has kept me very busy."

"I'm planning on keeping you busy until the end of time." Will told her with a kiss before asking, "What's the paper about? I might be able to help. I've always been good in English."

"The works of Edgar Allen Poe." Elizabeth told him.

"Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary…" Will quoted the first line of Poe's _The Raven_.

"Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'" Elizabeth supplied the most famous line.

Will and Elizabeth spend the rest of the day happily debating the works of Poe from the Tell-Tale Heart and the Cask of Amontillado to debating whether the poem Annabel Lee had been inspired by Poe's wife.

Will went to get take-out at All Burger while Elizabeth wrote the text of her paper on the laptop in their bedroom. Georgie came in while Elizabeth was just finishing up.

"Am I interrupting?" Georgie asked as she stood by the doorway.

"Just let me finish this last paragraph." Elizabeth bit her lip as she structured the last sentence.

"All done." Elizabeth said as she turned around.

"Do you think that we could hang out after dinner," Georgie asked, "like we used to, I've missed talking to you."

"Of course." Elizabeth agreed quickly.

"Dinner's on the table." Will came in to the room and announced with a smile, "It was a lot of work but it was worth it to make my favorite ladies happy."

As they started downstairs, Elizabeth said, "Will, all of my books are at home and so is my car. We'll need to go over there and get them tonight after dinner."

Will just smiled, "There's no need." He said as he guided her to an unused room.

Elizabeth opened it and found that all of her things had been moved in here from her parent's house. "Will, when did you do all of this."

"I arranged for all of your things to be moved here when we were on our honeymoon, I thought you could use this as a study when you need some privacy." Will answered, "Your car is in the garage and I've added a garage key to your set downstairs."

As they went down to dinner, Elizabeth said, "You've thought of everything, haven't you?"

"I did my best." Will said humbly, "But I'll have to take you to school tomorrow."

"Why?" Elizabeth asked.

"We've got to talk to Principal Annesley and change your next of kin and address in your file." He explained, "We will need to provide our marriage certificate not only to prove our marriage to the school but I also want to make sure that everyone knows that you're mine."

"You are so possessive." Elizabeth shook her head, "Not to mention, jealous."

"Where you're concerned, I cannot stand the thought of you with anyone else." Will admitted sheepishly, "I don't even want any other man looking at you because that drives me crazy."

"We'll have to work on that." Elizabeth said to him.

"No we don't." Will said as he pulled her into his arms and kissed her, "You mine and you always will be."

After dinner, Georgie ushered Elizabeth upstairs to her room before Will could protest. A few minutes later there was a knock on the door. When Georgie called for him to come in, Will opened the door and asked to speak to Elizabeth for a minute.

When she excused herself and met him in the hall, he said; "What are you two doing?"

"Just hanging out, talking and listening to music." Elizabeth answered.

"But I wanted to spend tonight with you." Will tried to pull her toward their bedroom, "It's our last night before school and work intrudes on our life."

"Will, you cannot begrudge me time with your sister." Elizabeth was firm, "Georgie and I haven't been able to just hang out together since we were married and I think she misses our friendship."

"Okay, for hour or so," He ran a hand over her hip, "after that you're all mine."

Elizabeth laughed, "You are the most possessive man I have ever met."

"Yes, I am." Will agreed as he pulled her to him and kissed her, "We've spent the last two weeks together and I can't imagine going to work tomorrow and not having you by my side." He complained, "Would you find me silly if I told you that I can't stand to think of you at school with all of those teenage boys around you."

"You are silly, none of those boys could capture my attention before and nobody can compete with you now."

He growled in her ear, "That is music to my ears."

Elizabeth extricated herself from his embrace and shooed him down the hall. "I'll come to you later."

"I can hardly wait."

When Elizabeth found Will in their bedroom, she had her hands behind her back and Will asked, "What do you have there?" He moved towards her, "Is that for me?"

"Yes," She said with a grin as she handed him a report, "I want you to read my English paper."

"This wasn't what I had in mind." But he took the paper and sat down to read it and once he finished he said, "In my opinion this is an A paper, you hit all the salient points and even incorporated both sides of the Annabel Lee argument."

"You are a very good influence on me." She took the paper out of his hands and put it on the dresser, "Now that work is out of the way," She straddled his waist and wrapped her legs around him, "What do you say we play for a while."

"I'd say yes." He moved to take possession of her lips and felt her move against him in a way that drove him insane with need. She unbuttoned his shirt as she caressed his overheated skin. They pleasured each other with great eagerness until they had worn out each other's bodies with joyous abandon.


	13. Chapter 13

Will drove Elizabeth and Georgie to school the next morning and as he walked Elizabeth to the principal's office, Georgie darted off to her first class.

With a hand on her waist, Will escorted Elizabeth into the office. "Mr. Darcy, what a pleasure to see you." Virginia Mills, who was at the counter and obviously thrilled to see Will Darcy in her office, "What can I do for you?"

Will looked toward his wife and the woman finally realized that Elizabeth was there and scolded, "Elizabeth Bennet, shouldn't you be in class?"

"She's actually with me." Will told Miss Mills, "We need to see Principal Annesley."

"Whatever do you want to see the principal for?" Miss Mills asked before looking at Elizabeth warily, "Has this young woman done something to you?"

Will turned to Elizabeth, rolled his eyes and saw her smile. Will put his arm around her waist and lifted her hand to his lips in a loving kiss. "Elizabeth has made me the happiest man in the world by becoming my wife."

The shock on Miss Mill's face made Will grin and pull his wife even closer. Mrs. Annesley walked out of her office to see this action. She took in their appearance and asked, "Mr. Darcy, Miss Bennet how may I help you?" She ushered them into her office while she gave Miss Mills a quizzical look as she noted the look of surprise on her face.

She indicated for them to take a seat on the guest chairs in front of her desk. She waited for a moment before she asked, "How can I help you."

Will handed her their marriage certificate and said, "Elizabeth and I were married a few weeks ago so I need to change the information in her file."

"You were married. How? Why? Oh my." Mrs. Annesley sputtered with incredulity but she gathered herself together and said with an inquiring look in her eyes, "Is there a reason that you had to get married? Is there something that I should know about?"

Will laughed out loud while Elizabeth just shook her head at him in exasperation, "No, Mrs. Annesley, I'm not pregnant." She glared at her husband who was still laughing.

"That's good." Mrs. Annesley seemed relieved, "But you can understand my reason for asking?"

"Yes, we can." Will answered her, "Elizabeth and I fell in love a few months ago and it was at my insistence that she agreed to marry me while she was on holiday. I'm afraid; I'm not a very patient man."

"Truer words were never spoken." Elizabeth said and that made Will snort with laughter and even Mrs. Annesley smiled at the reference.

"As you can probably see," Will told the principal, "My wife doesn't let me get away with anything."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes, "You're the one who always gets your own way."

As Mrs. Annesley watched the interaction between the two of them, she no longer wondered why they had gotten married. They seemed to have a very unique relationship but she could see the obvious affection between the two of them.

Elizabeth's file was changed and her married name added to the records. Will had another thing he wanted Mrs. Annesley to change. "I also want you to add Elizabeth to Georgiana's emergency contact list." Elizabeth looked at him with a frown, "If you can't get in touch with me, I will trust her to take care of anything as far as Georgiana is concerned."

"Will you didn't say anything about this," Elizabeth said with concern, "Are you sure that you want to do this."

"Elizabeth," Will took her hands and looked her in the eyes, "I trust you in every way and as you're my wife, I want you to be able to make decisions about Georgiana when I am not available."

"I'll take care of it." Mrs. Annesley told him, "While you're here Miss Bennet, I mean Mrs. Darcy; I need to speak to you about something that has come to my attention."

"How can I help you?" Elizabeth asked.

"It has come to my attention that an e-mail was sent to the school regarding Denny Saunders." Mrs. Annesley looked Elizabeth directly in the eyes, "It seems some ingenious person has come up with a fake newspaper article that implies some very disturbing things about Mr. Saunders. Would you happen to know who could have done something like that?" Mrs. Annesley asked.

"I have no idea." Elizabeth tilted her head as she smiled at the principal.

"I only ask you because of what Denny Saunders did to you in your freshman year." Mrs. Annesley was shrewd, "I also know that you have become good friends with Miss Darcy and I understand that he may have had some ill advised dealings with her."

The shock on Will's face at the principal's words was evident, "What did he do to you?"

"I'll talk to you about that later." Elizabeth said as squeezed his hand, "Right now, we have to get finished so that I can go to class."

"Miss... Mrs. Darcy is right." Mrs. Annesley looked at the couple, "Is there something that you want to tell me?" She said with a direct look at Elizabeth.

"There is no proof of my involvement and I'm certainly not going to admit to anything." Elizabeth laughed as she looked at the principal and arched her eyes.

"I guess we are done here then." Mrs. Annesley said with a warm smile and a sigh of relief.

Elizabeth had the feeling that the shrewd principal knew the truth but unless there was any proof she could not do anything about her suspicions.

As they left the principal's room, they found the clerical staff was huddled together in what seemed to be a gossip session. With only a glance Will put his arm around Elizabeth's waist and guided her out of the office. The bell rung for the end of first period and the students were filing out to their lockers and to their next classes.

Will looked down at his beautiful wife and was suddenly reluctant to let her go. He noticed some male students leaning against the lockers and staring at his wife with appreciative smiles. Will's jealous nature took over and he could not stand the way the boys were looking at Elizabeth. He glared at them with cold anger and without even thinking about it, he turned his wife into his arms and kissed her passionately. She responded and wound her arms around his neck while he pulled her against his body. He moved his hand against her back and molded her to his body.

Cat calls and wolf whistles finally penetrated their consciousness and Will reluctantly let her go. As they pulled apart Elizabeth made an exaggerated curtsy and Will smiled at his wife's whimsical sense of humor.

He whispered in her ear, "You are shameless."

Elizabeth just shook her head, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You say that with such a straight face."

"I'm advanced for my age." Elizabeth said with a smile.

Will laughed, "I would have to whole-heartedly agree with you and that is something that I'm very grateful for." He had a wolfish grin on his face as he pulled her close to him once again."

"You're incorrigible." Elizabeth said as he kissed her, "Not that I don't enjoy this but I'm going to be late for class."

He was unwilling to let her go and bent to kiss her again, when he heard his sister's voice behind them call out, "Geez, Will not again." He turned his head slowly and saw Georgie shake her head, "You're in the middle of the hall in my school. This is not embarrassing or anything." She said sarcastically before she grabbed Elizabeth by the arm, "Come on, we're going to be late for class."

Elizabeth looked her husband is the eye and said, "I really have to go." She pulled herself out of his embrace, "I'll miss you."

"I already miss you." Will complained, "How am I going to get through the day without you."

"It will take a lot of discipline." Elizabeth smiled and with encouragement said, "But I know you can do it."

"Come on Lizzie." Georgie pulled Elizabeth away from Will.

"I'll pick you two up after school." Will called after them as they disappeared down the hall.

With a sigh, he made his way back to the car and drove to the winery.

When he got to his office, he found Charles Bingley waiting for him. "It's about time you got here."

"I had to take Elizabeth to school and make the new arrangements." Will told his friend, "So how have things been around here."

"Fine." Bingley said shortly, "Not that you would have cared," He was sarcastic, "You left out of here two weeks ago with not even a call."

"I knew you could handle everything." Darcy laughed at Charles, "I trust you completely."

"How was the honeymoon?" Bingley asked but when he saw the happiness on Will's face he said, "I guess it went well."

"That's an understatement." Will smiled, "Elizabeth is an amazing woman and everything turned out even better than I could have imagined."

Charles studied his boss and with a smile said, "So I guess marriage suits you."

"I've never been happier in my life." Will told him, "I can't even think of living my life without her. She is everything I've ever wanted."

"I'm happy for both of you."

Will noticed something in his friends face, "How are things going with her sister Jane?"

Bingley shrugged his shoulder, "She's been worried about Elizabeth and she's been so worried and preoccupied about you two that I can't seem to get through to her."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Will asked.

"Why don't you invite us over for dinner," Charles suggested, "or we could go out on a double date so she can see that the two of you are alright."

"I'll talk to Elizabeth and she can make the arrangements." Will saw something else in his friends eyes, "Jane will see that everything is great between us."

"I hope so." Bingley was introspective, "I'm falling in love with Jane and I would hate for her to think badly about me because of something that is happening between you and her sister."

"Don't worry about it," Will laughed, "Believe me; Elizabeth is just as happy as I am."

Charles lowered his eyelids and asked, "So is she in love with you too."

"She hasn't said the words yet but a woman doesn't respond the way she does if she's not in love." Will said with confidence, "I'm sure she loves me but she just doesn't realize it yet."

"I've heard this before," Bingley reminded him, "and that was just before she refused to marry you the first time."

Will narrowed his eyes and said coldly, "I'm done talking about this and I'm sure there's lots of work to be done."

Elizabeth was late for class and was mortified to find that the students stopped talking when she entered the room so she knew they had been talking about her. The teacher was much nicer to Elizabeth than she had ever been before when she apologized for being late.

"No problem." Mrs. Watkins told her and asked her in a loud whisper, "You must be incredibly happy about your marriage to Mr. Darcy."

"Not as happy as he is." Elizabeth retorted with barely restrained annoyance.

The class laughed at her answer and Mrs. Watkins motioned Elizabeth toward her seat. When Elizabeth left, she turned to the blackboard and wrote the day's lessons on the board.

After that, Elizabeth did not have the best day at school. She found that most of the teachers were kissing her ass because of who she was married to and the girls seemed to break into giggles when she appeared. They all wanted to know what is was like being married to Will Darcy.

"He's so gorgeous." One of the giggling girls sighed.

"And rich." Said another girl.

"What's he like in bed?"

With that question, Elizabeth just shook her head and walked away. She found Georgie and they commiserated together when Elizabeth found that Georgie was being grilled by all of the students as well.

Georgie was indignant when she told Elizabeth, "Somebody actually asked me if I'd walked in while you two were having sex." Georgie shuddered, "Like it's any of their business what you two do in the privacy of your own bedroom. Believe me I don't want to know what goes on in there." She actually smiled at Elizabeth, "Not that I haven't seen and heard way too much but it certainly is none of their business." Georgie turned a little red, "It's not like you and Will try and hide your affection for each other."

After lunch, Elizabeth got called into the principal's office. When Mrs. Annesley motioned for her to sit, Elizabeth looked quizzically at the woman before she started to speak.

"I saw what happened in the hall this morning between you and Mr. Darcy." The principal looked embarrassed about having to bring this up.

"Oh." Elizabeth felt the color rising in her checks, "Will can be very affectionate and I'm afraid he was unhappy about not being with me today."

"He's jealous too." Mrs. Annesley said observantly, "It was obvious that he didn't like the boys looking at you."

"That too." Elizabeth admitted, "I talked to him about that but it didn't seem to help."

"You know that I can't have that happening in the halls of my school so what are we going to do about it?" The principal shook her head, "He's a grown man and I can't have your husband acting like a hormonal teenage boy."

Elizabeth laughed at the resemblance of the principal's remarks about the man who was her husband. She thought for a moment and then said with a smile, "I have an idea but I'm going to need your help and Georgie's."

"Anything you need." Mrs. Annesley listened with amusement while Elizabeth laid out her plan.

Will was impatient to see Elizabeth and he even got to the school early to pick up her and Georgie. All he could think about was that as soon as they got home he would carry Elizabeth upstairs to their bedroom. He would lay her on the bed with her beautiful dark curls spread out on the pillows. He was imaging running his hands across her naked body and her cries of pleasure as he filled her body with his.

He was woken from his daydream when he heard the final bell ring and heard the voices of the students as they swarmed out into the halls. He struggled to get his arousal under control before Elizabeth and Georgie got to the car.

The door to the car opened and Will asked, "Where's Elizabeth?"

"She's in detention." Georgie said quietly.

"Why is she in detention?" Will asked angrily.

"I don't know." Georgie said as she looked away so he couldn't see the smile on her face, "You'll have to ask her that when you pick her up in an hour."

"Damn." Will said aggressively as he hit the steering wheel with his hand. He started up the car and hit the gas so hard that the tires squealed on the pavement.

When they got home, Georgie disappeared into her bedroom while Will paced in his study._ What could have happened today that Elizabeth ended up in detention? Damn Darcy, get yourself together, it's only another hour, I'll be able to pick her up soon and then we can live out my fantasy._ The clock on the wall seemed to move very slowly. _She's so much a part of my life that I can't stand it when she's not with me._

When Will picked up Elizabeth after her detention the first thing out of his mouth was, "What happened?"

She slipped into the passenger seat and kissed him lightly.

"I got called to the principal's office for improper behavior." Elizabeth told him, "Mrs. Annesley gave me detention for making out with you in the hallway."

"You've got to be kidding." He laughed with relief and claimed her lips as he pulled her onto his lap. Raising his head he said, "I've missed you so much today."

"I would never have known." She teased him with a chuckle.

"So you got detention because we were making out in the hallway."

"Yes."

"Well I hope Mrs. Annesley does not see this otherwise you might get expelled."

His hands pulled her against him so that she was straddled against him and he kissed her with a fervor that evoked an excited response from her. She moved against him in a rhythmic manner that aroused him in a heartbeat. His mouth had taken possession of hers and he was drawing a moaning response from her.

A sudden noise brought Elizabeth to her senses and she pulled back from Will and tried to move to her own seat. He restrained her until she said, "Will we can't do this here. Let's go home."

He kissed her quickly before he released her and she moved back into the passenger seat. He drove home quickly and picked her up out of the seat.

He opened the front door and carried her upstairs before he played out his daydream with his very lovely wife.

When they went down for dinner, Elizabeth went out to the car to get her book bag which had been left in the car in Will's hast to get her upstairs.

She pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to Will. "You have to sign this."

"What is it?" He asked as he began to read.

"Mrs. Annesley wants you to sign a contract that says you will not make out with me in the school hallway anymore." Elizabeth explained as he read, "She says that it is improper behavior for you to be acting that way in front of impressionable high school students."

Will laughed, "I'll talk to the principal because I don't find anything wrong with me kissing my wife good-bye before she goes to class."

"Will, sometimes I don't think that you listen to yourself, just your saying it sounds funny." Georgie giggled at her brother.

"I don't know what's so funny." He threw the piece of paper into the trash, "I'm not going to sign anything that tries to tell me when I can kiss my wife."

"Mrs. Annesley says that you should be setting a good example for the students and not acting like a crazy hormonal teenager."

When a shocked Will looked at Elizabeth he saw the corners of her mouth lifted in a smile. "What is this really about?"

He caught his wife and tickled her until she gave him the answer he wanted. "Okay, okay, enough, I'll talk." Will waited with his fingers poised to continue his tickle assault, "It was all a joke, Mrs. Annesley did call me into the office and did mention seeing the little spectacle we put on this morning. She wasn't happy and wanted to know how to stop this from happening again."

Will looked at Elizabeth with an accusation on his lips, "I recognize your handprint on this little practical joke; you're the one who thought this up didn't you?"

In a false voice Elizabeth said, "You've got me sir, I'm the guilty party." She looked up at him through her lashes and he was once again caught by an intense desire for her, "What are you going to do with me?"

"You impertinent minx." His face was split into a huge smile and his blue eyes sparkled with humor.

With a smile and a wink at Georgie, he picked Elizabeth up and threw her over his shoulder and jogged upstairs to their bedroom and showed her how impertinent wives were treated in his house.


	14. Chapter 14

Will woke up early and enjoyed watching his lovely wife sleep. Her hair was disheveled and he remembered with enjoyment how he had gotten it that way. He couldn't believe that everything had turned out so well for the two of them. He hadn't made such a good start to this relationship and after their hasty marriage in Vegas he was just glad that she didn't end up hating him.

His face had softened with the love he felt for Elizabeth when she woke and looked up into his face. She smiled at him as she yawned and stretched.

"Have you been awake long?" She asked as he pulled her close to him.

"Just for a few minutes," His face took on a roguish grin, "I was completely enchanted by the view as I was imagining a few ways I would like to wake you up."

"So how did you decide to wake me?" Her smile was infectious as she looked at him through half-closed lashes.

He pulled her to him and arranged it so she was on top of him as he raised himself to kiss her. "I decided to go with the classic."

Will pressed his mouth against her while his tongue sought entrance into her depths. Elizabeth felt as his arousal grew and she reluctantly pushed him away.

"I'm afraid we don't have time for this because I have to get ready for school." She drew herself into a sitting position but he pulled her back against him and moved against her with his body.

"I'll write you a note for being late." Will whispered to her huskily as he proceeded with his concentrated effort.

With a giggle, Elizabeth sat up, "I would like to be a fly on the wall when Mrs. Annesley reads that note." She affected a baritone voice and said, "Please excuse my wife Elizabeth from being late this morning because I had a desperate need to make love with her before school causing her tardiness."

Will rolled his eyes at her and smirked, "I just hate not having you with me during the day."

"I know…" Elizabeth started when she heard a knock on the door.

Georgie's voice came from outside the door. "Are you decent, can I come in?" Without waiting for an answer the door opened a crack and she poked head through the door in time to see Elizabeth straddling her brother with his hand around her wrist restraining her.

"You two are so active that you even put bunny rabbits to shame." Georgie chuckled as she closed the door and yelled back at her brother, "If you don't let Elizabeth up, we're going to be late for school."

Will lowered his eyes at Elizabeth with a slight smile curling his lip when she shrugged as if to say 'I told you so.' He yelled out the door in mock annoyance at his sister, "Mind your own business."

Elizabeth rolled off Will and proceeded to stand up as her husband said, "You two are quite the comic duo. Did you rehearse this little bit?"

"Of course not." Elizabeth replied archly as she bent to place a quick kiss on his lips, "You're also going to be late for work if you don't get up." She laughed, "Charles Bingley has had to put up with a lot lately and he will not be very happy if you're late again."

"I'm the boss and I don't care what makes Charles happy." Will reached out to take her hand, "Come back to bed, please."

"I can't, I don't have the time." She said with regret, "Neither do you."

"Elizabeth." Will called to her.

"Yes." She answered as she turned back to him suspiciously, "What is it this time?"

"Speaking of Charles," Will told her, "You need to set up a time to go out with him and Jane."

"Why."

"Bingley said that Jane has pulled away from him ever since we got married." Will said, "He seems to think that she is worried about us and blames him. He feels that it would go a long way to proving that you are not unhappy if were to all go out together." Will looked up into her beautiful eyes, "He's crazy about your sister and it is making him unhappy because she is distancing herself from him."

Elizabeth sighed, "Okay, I'll call Jane and make the arrangements."

She walked into the bathroom to take her bath, Will came in behind her and as he stared at her in her bath water he said in a silky voice, "Can I join you?" He leaned down to kiss her with a passion that showed her exactly what was on his mind.

She kissed him back with equal ardor but pushed him away gently, "Can I take a rain check after school?"

With a grin and a nod of his head he agreed, "I'll hold you to that."

Once she was out of the bath tub she got ready quickly and went downstairs to have a piece of toast and some orange juice. Georgie was already in the kitchen when she got there finishing her cereal.

"Sorry about this morning." Georgie said.

"Don't worry about it." Elizabeth's eyes twinkled and she winked at her sister, "Every once in a while your brother needs a reality check."

"That's true." Georgie laughed as the two exited the house, walked to the garage and got into Elizabeth's little bug.

On the way to school, Elizabeth said to Georgie, "Your brother is having a hard time with the fact that I'm in school again. He got used to having me around all the time and he doesn't like this at all." Elizabeth shook her head, "I'm not sure how to help him deal with this."

"It will just take time for him to get used to it again." Georgie said, "Then he'll be fine."

"You're right." Elizabeth agreed as she pulled into the student parking and they made their way to the lockers before going to class.

By the end of the day, Elizabeth was exhausted and she had a headache. Will was waiting for her and Georgie at the door when they got home but he noticed the pain etched on his wife's face.

"Elizabeth, what's wrong?" Will's tone was concerned as he led her to his study.

"Just a headache, that's all." Elizabeth tried to be lighthearted but Will knew enough about her moods to suspect that something was wrong.

"What happened today?" His voice was soft and compassionate.

"It's nothing, really." She told him, "Everyone is treating me differently and it frustrates me. Everyone seems to want something from me. The teachers, the girls and the guys even joined the fray today. I just want everyone to leave me alone." She said with a sigh.

"The guys, what did the guys do?" Will tried to keep the tension and jealousy out his voice.

"They're such juveniles." Elizabeth shook her head, hating to tell her husband the truth, "Like the rest of the school, they seem to think that I married you for your money or because I'm pregnant." She looked into his eyes, "As insane as it sounds, most of them seem to think that I have become a woman of the world and would be into to having sex with them. Every word they speak has sexual innuendo attached to it."

The rage emanated from Will's body while he stood and paced the room as he sputtered, "How dare they approach you in that manner." He balled his fists up by his side and his anger and jealousy were palpable as he spoke, "You're mine and I would kill anyone who dared to touch you."

"Will, you don't have to worry about that." Elizabeth reached out to stroke the side of her husband's cheek, "I don't want anybody but you."

His anger melted as he looked down into her eyes and saw the pain there, "Let me get you something for that headache." Will said as he walked to his drawer and pulled out a bottle of pain reliever.

He got her some water and she gratefully took the pills he offered her. She closed her eyes for a moment and when she opened them he was looking at her with a worried frown. "I'll be okay in a little while; I just need to lie down." He put his arm around her waist and walked her upstairs to their bedroom. "I talked to Jane today and we are set to go out to dinner on Saturday night."

"Good," Will breathed, "That should make Charles happy."

"Will, you should know that whenever I talk to Jane, she grills me about our marriage." Elizabeth smiled weakly, "I've been less than forthcoming but she is persistent."

When Elizabeth got into bed, Will climbed in beside her until he heard her even breathing that indicated that she had fallen asleep. He slipped out of bed and went back downstairs to his study to get some work done. His thoughts kept him busy as he kept going over things in his mind. _This is all my fault, if I hadn't insisted that we get married this wouldn't be happening to her. But if we hadn't got married her father would have gone to jail and I wouldn't know how much joy being married to Elizabeth would bring me. She is my wife and there's nothing I can do to change that and I definitely want to take every one of those boys and thrash them to within an inch of their lives._

A few hours later, Georgie poked her head into the room. "How are you doing?" She asked her brother when she saw him at his desk with his head in his hands.

"Did Elizabeth tell you what happened with the boys today?" Will asked his sister.

"No, but she didn't have to." Georgie said, "The idiots weren't even being discrete and everyone in the school is aware of what they were after." She saw the pain on Will's face, "You don't have anything to worry about, Will. You're married and Elizabeth loves you." Her eyes pleaded with him to understand, "You know that."

"You're right." Will said trying to sound calm for Georgie's sake. "I'll go up and see if she's awake."

As he walked upstairs, a traitorous thought kept invading Will's consciousness. _Does she really love me? She's never said the words even when we were in Paris and she came to me, she only said that she wanted me. She's never told me that she loves me. What if she never loves me? I can't bear the thought of losing her._

When he got to their bedroom, he found that Elizabeth was still asleep. He locked the door and crawled into bed beside his wife and in an act of a desperate man, he kissed her with a passionate intensity and she returned his passionate embrace. She had a smile on her face when she said, "Will."

He undressed quickly and went to work on the buttons on Elizabeth's shirt. Her hands began roaming over his body and with both hands on his rear pulled him close to her. He took possession of her mouth and removed her shirt with an impatience of a man who needed to slake his thirst. Once he removed her jeans and underwear he began to pleasure her until she writhed and cried out with longing to be fulfilled. Will's intense need urged him to greater plateaus of ardor with a feverish need as they rode the waves of ecstasy until both partner's uttered wild cries of release as they reached the summit in an explosion of mind-numbing pleasure.

Their bodies were slick with sweat as they clung to each other in the aftermath of their lovemaking. Elizabeth voice was hoarse as she kissed her husband gently and whispered, "Will that was unbelievably wonderful." She snuggled against his chest as she placed light kisses upon his overheated body, "I don't know why but the more we're together the better it gets and the more I want you."

He longed to hear those words that she had yet to tell him as she snuggled against him and fell asleep to the beating of his heart. Will's thoughts were too overpowering for him to fall asleep and he just marveled at the fact that it was he who held this amazing woman in his arms.

When he found he couldn't sleep, Will got out of bed, took a shower and once dressed made his way downstairs to make some dinner. It wasn't very long before Georgie ambled downstairs into the kitchen and was followed a few minutes later by a still sleepy Elizabeth.

When she found her husband, she raised onto her toes and kissed him, "I missed you when I woke up."

He embraced her and said, "I missed you too, but I hope you're feeling better now."

She pulled his head down to her and whispered, "I feel great, who knew that would be exactly what the doctor ordered."

Will laughed and swung her around, suddenly feeling much better about things as he said, "You still owe me that bath you promised me."

Her smile was radiant, "You have a date because I never renege on my promises."

Georgie looked at them with a huge grin, "Come on you two, just one meal without all the mushy stuff is all I ask."

Will ruffled his sister's hair, "Sorry Georgie, I'm afraid the mushy stuff is here to stay." His eyes found Elizabeth's and she was smiling broadly.

After dinner, Georgie and Elizabeth did their homework together and when they were done Elizabeth found her husband in the study working.

He looked up at her and asked, "Everything done?"

"Yes sir," Elizabeth said with a mock salute, "Any other duties that I need to perform?"

"I can think of something." Will's eyes found hers with an intense stare, "But you can do that later, right now I need to ask you what Denny Saunders did to you in your freshman year."

"Oh that." Elizabeth turned red as she thought about it.

"It can't be that bad," Will was supportive, "just tell me."

"In my freshman year, Denny Saunders declared himself in love with me." Will eyes widened before she continued her story, "I made it very clear that nothing was ever going to happen between us but he wouldn't take no for an answer and began to stalk me." Elizabeth sighed, "He would follow me from class to class and send me roses and candy at school. It all became very embarrassing and when he began to follow me home and call at all hours of the night, I went to Mrs. Annesley, she was vice-principal at the time." Her eyes clouded over as she relived her past.

"So what did the school do?" Will couldn't help but ask.

"Nothing." Elizabeth returned, "You see Denny's parents are on the school board and nobody was going to take the word of a lowly accountant's daughter who didn't mean anything in this town." Elizabeth still sounded a little bitter. "Mrs. Annesley tried but she was outranked and overruled by the principal."

Will shook his head with horror and motioned for her to keep going.

"I decided to take matters into my own hands as Denny's actions starting getting more outrageous and sexually charged." Elizabeth shut her eyes, "I began to video my confrontations with him. Not only did he beg me to have sex with me on video but he admitted to being a virgin as though he thought that would make me feel sorry for him or something. He was being sexually explicit verbally and his actions mimicked what he was saying."

"I edited the video and sent it as a global e-mail to the entire student body." Her shoulders sagged, "In those days I was not very tech savvy and just sent it from my own e-mail account. Suffice it to say that Denny's parents found out and complained to the principal. They traced the e-mail back to me and I was suspended for a week for distributing pornographic material."

"What happened to that little prick?" Will asked as his anger mounted.

"Nothing." Elizabeth said in a matter of fact tone the enraged Will, "His parents made sure that no hint of scandal touched their son's name and it was never brought up that although I filmed and distributed the 'pornographic material' that it was their son who had been the cause of that material." Elizabeth's voice was coldly angry, "I vowed that I would get even with him one day and learned everything I could about the tech world. I made lots of great friends who have always had my back and stuck out their necks for me and Georgie when Denny sent out his e-mail about her."

"So that was why you knew that Principal Annesley would not be able to do anything about it when I talked about going to her?"

"Yes." Elizabeth agreed, "I knew I had to handle the situation myself. I also realize that Principal Annesley is well aware that I had something to do with the situation but as long as there is no evidence and I didn't confess there is nothing she can do no matter who complains. I could tell by her manner that she was glad of those facts."

"Elizabeth, I'm so sorry you had to go through that." Will said sympathetically.

"I'm not sorry." Elizabeth said, "It was that incident that made me who I am today. Because of that I never wanted to go out with my classmates even though I was asked out by a lot of them. I was never interested in anyone until I met you at the Pemberly Winery Christmas dance."

I'm glad you told me about this," Will said with a gulp of embarrassment, "That incident also brought you back to me."

"We also have to thank Georgie." Elizabeth reminded him, "Without her, I would never have seen you again."

"I wouldn't have bet on that if I were you." Will said as his blue eyes twinkled, "I would have found my way back to you regardless. Now I believe you owe me a very soapy, wet bath."

"I believe that you are right but you're going to have to catch me first." Elizabeth said with a giggle as she raced out of the room followed by her loving husband.


	15. Chapter 15

Saturday morning dawned cool and crisp while Will snuggled in the covers with his bride. He loved it when he could just hold her in the early morning before the day began. Today was the day they were going to dinner with Charles and Jane.

After Elizabeth's confession earlier in the week, Will had begun to understand the woman who was his wife more clearly.

He felt her stirring next to him and he leaned over on his elbow to watch her. When she opened her eyes and found him staring, she smiled sleepily. "How long have you been awake?"

"Not long." He said as he pulled her to him and kissed her, "Just long enough to admire the view."

Elizabeth shook her head, "You always manage to say the right thing."

"You're wrong there," Will countered with a smile, "I've always said and done the wrong things with you and you always have to show me the error of my ways."

"Not everything is wrong," Elizabeth contradicted him as she ran her hands down his chest, "Some things between us have always been right."

Will growled with happiness, "Yes, we seem to have an affinity for the carnal delights of the flesh."

Elizabeth didn't stop the exploration of his gorgeous body at the chest. There was a smile of satisfaction on Elizabeth's face when she heard the vocalizations of his pleasure because of her attentions to his body. When she lowered her head to his arousal there was a sharp knock on the door.

Georgie's voice filtered to them through a haze of desire, "Lizzie, are you awake?"

Elizabeth readjusted her body position and sat up in bed pulling the covers up over both of them, "Yes we're awake." She called, "Come on in."

As Georgie came in, she sat on the end of the bed and seeing the look on her brother's face realized that she must have interrupted something. "You must have forgot that you were going to take me shopping early this morning." She looked from Elizabeth to Will and saw that Will's face was dark and cloudy, "I can come back later."

"No that's okay." Elizabeth said as she shot a defiant look in her husband's direction, "We were just getting up."

"I'll meet you downstairs in a little while then." Georgie said as she exited the room.

As soon as Georgie had left the room, Elizabeth jumped out of bed and angrily said to her husband, "Will Darcy, how dare you treat your sister in that manner."

"Elizabeth, darling."

"Don't you 'darling' me, William Franklin Darcy." Elizabeth was furious, "I don't care what she interrupts; I will not have you treat Georgie in that way."

Will tried to diffuse the situation with humor, "I haven't been middle named in a long time but it always indicates that I'm in big trouble." He stood up and caught her around the waist but she was still too angry to give into his obvious ploy to relieve the stress of the moment.

"Will, you knew the situation when we married." Elizabeth looked at him but her expression was unreadable, "We're not like normal newlyweds. We don't just have ourselves to think about."

"Elizabeth, I know all of this and I'm sorry about my reaction." He pulled her against him, "You can't blame me for being disappointed at being interrupted at a critical place in our lovemaking." He tried to charm her into forgiving him for his transgression as he began to kiss her neck in a way he knew she loved.

"I appreciate your feelings." Elizabeth said as she pulled away from him, "But you have to remember that Georgie has feelings too. She has been very accommodating of our desire for privacy. She didn't even get to spend Christmas with us because we were on our honeymoon."

"I know all of this and I love my sister dearly." He was not going to be dissuaded from his mission and slid close to Elizabeth running his hands over her curves. His hips moved against her as he strove to get a reaction out of her. "I know what sacrifices that she has made for our relationship but I need you so badly that all other thoughts are purged from my brain."

Elizabeth tried to suppress a giggle, "That's because all of the blood is redirected to another part of your anatomy."

"Very true." He agreed quickly, "How would you feel about a quick detour of that blood right now." He voice was husky with barely restrained desire.

"Will, I really don't have time." Elizabeth hastily explained, "I invited my younger sisters to go shopping with us and they will be here in a half hour so I have to get my bath and get dressed now." She kissed her husband briefly, "But what do you say that we resume this after I get back?"

"I would like that very much." Will agreed as he followed her into the bathroom, "So why are you taking Georgie shopping today?"

"I guess I forgot to tell you but Georgie has a date today." Elizabeth said as she lowered herself into the bath, Will took a seat on the edge of the large bathtub. "I promised we would go shopping and find the perfect outfit. As Kitty and Lydia are closer to Georgie's age and very much into the shopping thing I figured that they could help pick something appropriate."

"Who gave Georgie permission to go on a date?" Will said as he looked at his wife.

"I did." She told him with a smile, "You did say you trusted me with Georgie's care."

"She's only thirteen," Will insisted, "That's too young to be dating."

"I know," Elizabeth said patiently, "That's why I told her the only way that we would agree is if this were a group date."

"We, I don't recall agreeing to anything of that nature." The color was rising in Will's cheeks.

"I meant to talk to you about it," she said as she looked up at him through her lashes, "But every time we are alone, you have a way of distracting my attention with other activities."

He smiled and leaned down to kiss her, "You are not wrong about that." With a thoughtful expression, Will asked, "Who is this boy she's going on a group date with?"

"Neal Robinson." Elizabeth answered with a smile, "He's one of my computer literate friends that I've told you about."

"What." Will roared as he stood quickly, "He's a senior."

"Yes, he's seventeen." Elizabeth confirmed.

"He's too old for Georgie." Will stated firmly, "He's four years older than her and I will not allow her to date a seventeen year old boy. You know they only have one thing on their minds."

"That doesn't change as they age either," Elizabeth had a laugh at her husband's expense, "and my, what a hypocrite you've become." Elizabeth said sarcastically.

"What do you mean?" Will said as he sat back down.

"How many people told you that I was too young for you?" She said impatiently while she rinsed her hair and stood up. "You're eight years older than I am and I'm still in high school but that didn't stop you from pursuing and marrying me."

"That's different." Will said as he stared at his wife's water sleeked body and had a sudden rush of desire for this woman he loved. "You're much more mature than Georgie."

He pulled her to him and kissed her soundly while moving his hands across the most intimate places on her body and he heard her moan of pleasure.

Elizabeth stepped back from Will reluctantly while she pulled her towel from the rack and wrapped it around herself.

"Will, I don't want to argue with you about this." She leaned into him and kissed him, "Neal is a nice guy, and you really don't think that I would allow Georgie to date anyone that was bad for her." She looked into his eyes and said, "I would like you to indulge me in this matter and trust me."

"You are a dangerous woman, Elizabeth Sara Darcy." Will laughed as he hugged her to him and said, "Using my own words so effectively against me." He thought for a moment before agreeing, "Okay, I'll trust you but I want to meet this young man before they leave."

"That will be no problem as he is picking her up here." She kissed him softly, "I'm sure this can't be easy for you but I'm proud of you."

"I don't know how I could cope with Georgie dating without you by my side." He said emphatically before he kissed his wife with a passion that left them both wanting more.

"I'm glad I can help." Elizabeth said as she slid out of his arms and went into their bedroom to get dressed."

"What am I going to do without you for hours?" Will complained as he watched her dress.

"What did you do before we got together?" Elizabeth asked smoothly.

"I guess I could call Charles and get in a round of golf or workout."

"That sounds like a plan and I'll be back before you know it." Elizabeth heard the doorbell ring downstairs as she finished getting dressed and pulled her wet hair back into a pony tail. "I'll see you in a few hours." Elizabeth said as she kissed her husband.

He pulled out his wallet and gave her his credit card, "I want you to get Georgie whatever she needs." He smiled, "You could also get yourself and your sisters whatever you might fancy." Will saw her face tighten, "Indulge me, we can afford it and I want you all to have a great day."

"Thank you, Will." She said.

"Elizabeth, I love you." Will said as she kissed him goodbye.

"I'll be back soon." She said with a smile, "We'll finish what we started this morning."

When Elizabeth got downstairs all of the girls were waiting for her including Mary.

"I'm not really into shopping." Mary explained, "But I haven't seen you in a while and I wanted to get to know your new sister."

Lydia and Kitty were enthusiastic in their greeting as Lydia said, "What a great house. I can't believe that you are married to Will Darcy."

"What's it like being married, Lizzie." Kitty asked.

"What's the sex like." Lydia asked.

"I am not going to discuss my love life with the likes of you two." Elizabeth said firmly.

"She and Will are like bunny rabbits." Georgie supplied with a laugh, "They can't keep their hands off each other." She looked at her new sisters, "I even interrupted something this morning and boy was Will mad."

Elizabeth just shook her head and led them to the garage where she got the keys for Will's Mercedes and ushered her sister's into the car.

"Great car." Mary commented, "Much nicer than your car."

"I still love the bug." Elizabeth said, "But there are too many of us to fit into my car."

Elizabeth carefully backed out of the garage and set off for the shopping center. The next few hours were hectic as they all found an outfit or two. Georgie loved the jeans and sweater they found for her. Elizabeth found an outfit that she thought Will would like and bought it for their dinner with Jane and Charles.

Her sisters also teased her without mercy when she found some lingerie that she knew Will would find irresistible.

Lydia and Kitty were able to indulge their fantasy with an expensive outfit and Mary found some books that she was grateful that Elizabeth bought her.

They had lunch at the food court and Elizabeth watched with a smile as the other girls checked out all of the guys and each one pointed out their favorite.

Lydia turned to Elizabeth and said, "That hottie over there is checking you out."

"I don't care how many hotties are checking me out, I'm a married woman." Elizabeth explained patiently.

"He's coming over here." Kitty cried out in surprise.

"I couldn't help notice the most beautiful girl here." The dark-haired good looking boy said as he looked Elizabeth in the eyes.

"Thank you." Elizabeth said as she heard her cell phone ring, "It's my husband; I need to take his call."

The kid looked shocked and Lydia and Kitty took the opportunity to flirt with him outrageously.

"We're just having lunch." Elizabeth said, "Did you have a good time? Yeah I missed you too but I'll be home soon."

When Elizabeth was done with her call the kid was gone, "His name is Matt." Kitty informed her, "and he is adorably cute."

"Come on, Will's waiting for me." Elizabeth said as she got her purse and walked the girls passed the table where Matt was sitting and watching her.

"It's a good thing that Will wasn't here to see that." Georgie said to Elizabeth before she explained to her sisters, "My brother is incredibly jealous when it comes to guys coming on to Elizabeth."

They made their way to the car and Elizabeth drove her sister's home and after the girl's hugged their sister and told her to thank Will for the gifts, they made their way into the house.

Elizabeth drove home and after unloading the car, she put the Mercedes back in the garage and wasn't surprised to see Will striding out to meet her.

"I've missed you while you were gone." Will said as he pulled her to him and kissed her until she couldn't think straight.

"You are excited to see me." Elizabeth said with a grin, "I can't image why?"

"Don't tell me you forgot you promise earlier today?" Will said as he put an arm around her shoulders and walked her into the house.

"Of course not." She replied with a toss of her hair.

Elizabeth bent to pick up her packages but Will beat her to it. "Will you be modeling these purchases for me?"

They made their way upstairs; Elizabeth motioned for Will to go to their room while she knocked on Georgie's door. Once Georgie called for her to enter, Elizabeth made her way through the door. "I talked to Will this morning and it took a bit of persuasion but he just wants to meet Neal before you go out today."

"Thank you Elizabeth." Georgie hugged her, "I can't wait, I like him so much."

"I'd better go before your brother comes looking for me." Elizabeth told her with a smile, "He's quite insistent on having a little privacy this afternoon."

"I'm so sorry for interrupting you this morning." Georgie said with a sheepish grin, "You know I would never do that intentionally."

"I know and I explained that to Will." Elizabeth said, "Georgie, you know that I think that Neal is a great guy." Elizabeth took a breath, "But sometimes even the greatest guys can't help but pressure a girl into something that she doesn't want to do. I just want you to know that you can always say no and if the boy doesn't understand then he isn't worth knowing."

"I appreciate that." Georgie said and with a flush asked, "Did Will pressure you into things that you didn't want to do."

Elizabeth felt that she had to tell her the truth, "Yes, he did." Elizabeth said, "Our situation was a little different because he is so much older than I am and he has been used to older woman who were willing and eager to have sex with him." She looked Georgie in the eyes and said, "But I told your brother no quite a few times and he never pushed me further than I was willing to go. He is the greatest man I know and he always knew when not to pressure me anymore." Elizabeth was serious when she said, "I always want you to know that you have the right to say no."

"Thank you for telling me." Georgie said as she hugged her sister, "I like having a woman to talk to about these things."

"I'd better go." As she moved through the partially opened door, she found Will standing outside the door with his mouth open and as she shut the door she said, "I suppose you heard all of that."

"Yes I did and I don't know how to thank you." He bent to kiss his wife and picked her up while she wrapped her legs around his waist and he walked her down to their bedroom.

When he pushed open the door, Elizabeth said, "Do you want a little fashion show?"

"I'd love one." Will said with wolfish smile, "I had a little peak in your bag and I think I will enjoy this show."

Will enjoyed the lingerie show so much that he didn't even let her finish and when she modeled a brief and silky design he stood up, took her in his arms and deposited her onto the bed where he proceeded to indulge his desire and slowly removed the enticing garments as he made love to her until they were both extremely satisfied.

Later that afternoon, after Elizabeth had spent an hour getting Georgie ready for her date. The ladies gave Will time to answer the door and meet Neal.

Will studied the kid before him with a critical eye; he had light brown hair and looked a lot younger than seventeen. "I want you to understand that if you try to take advantage of my kid sister, I will come after you and make you pay for the rest of your life." He saw the kid flush under his scrutiny, "Do you understand."

"I promise you sir that I will treat Georgiana with the utmost respect." Neal said in a quiet tone, "I like your sister a lot."

"Where are you going to college?" Will asked abruptly.

"I'm been accepted on early admission to MIT and will be starting in the fall." Neal answered quickly.

_This kid must be smart but is he good enough for Georgie and what about when he left for college. Georgie could be hurt._

"Okay, you can take out my sister." Will said, "Where are you taking her?"

"We are going to miniature golf and then we'll go to a movie."

"I want her home by 10:00." Will said to the boy.

"You can have her home by 11:00." Elizabeth said from behind them as she looked at her husband with narrowed eyes and arched eyes.

"Okay 11:00." Will agreed grudgingly.

Neal spotted Georgie and said, "You look beautiful. Are you ready to go?"

"Yes." Georgie said with a blush.

"Have a good time." Elizabeth said as Neal escorted Georgie to his car.

"They'd better not have too good of a time." Will muttered in her ear.

"You have to let go." Elizabeth told him, "I'm going to get ready for our date."

She got dressed quickly and Will whistled in appreciation when he saw her in a very sexy short skirt which sent his pulses into overdrive.

"You look spectacular." Will said as he ran his hand up her thigh and under her skirt.

"Will, we don't have time right now." She chastised, "We have to meet Jane and Charles in 15 minutes."

"Okay but we'd better go someplace where I can take you in my arms and dance with you."

"We're going to the restaurant you took me on our first date so that should not be a problem." Elizabeth smiled as she slipped from his arms and got her wrap.

When they got to the restaurant, Jane and Charles were already waiting for them.

"Sorry we're late." Will apologized, "Elizabeth looked so beautiful, I couldn't help myself." He saw his wife blush at his words and smiled at Jane.

"How are you doing this evening?" He asked politely.

"I'm doing very well, Mr. Darcy." Jane answered automatically.

"We're not in the office now so call me Will."

"Okay, Will." Jane said a little stiffly as she stood to hug her sister, "I've missed your company."

"We've been a little busy." Elizabeth glanced at her husband with a smile and he kissed her.

Jane did not look convinced and shot Charles an angry look, "Obviously you told Will about my concerns and he told Lizzie." Jane looked at her sister and demanded, "I want to know why you two got married."

Will answered quickly, "Why do most people get married?"

"I'm not amused." Jane said with her eyes narrowed dangerously, "There are two rumors going around the office. The first is that Elizabeth is pregnant." She turned to her sister, "Are you pregnant?"

"No, I'm not pregnant." Elizabeth smiled which just seemed to irritate Jane.

"So I'll go with door number two which is that you married Will to get father a promotion. Since he was moved to Darcy's team the Monday after you got married that would seem to be the winner." Jane said with a piercing look at Will, "Did you persuade my sister to marry her to get our father a better job?"

"No, I didn't give your father a promotion because I married your sister." Will smiled indulgently at his wife, "The truth is quite simply because I feel head over heels in love with your sister and when I found that she felt the same about me I couldn't wait another minute to make her my wife."

"Lizzie, is this true?" Jane asked with as she tilted her head toward her sister.

"Will is the most wonderful man in the world." Elizabeth gazed at her husband as she spoke, "I love him with all of my heart and couldn't imagine being married to anyone else in the world."

Will's heart swelled with emotion as he heard her speak of him so eloquently. _Please let what she said be the truth because I love her more than I can articulate._ Will gathered her in his arms and kissed her passionately. He didn't care that the whole room was staring at them and stroked her lovely hair with loving hands. "I love you, darling."

She whispered in his ear, "You will be getting very lucky tonight."

He held her tighter before he let her go and pulled out her chair for her to sit.

Through the entire meal Jane watched the couple for signs of deception but what she saw was subtle signs of their intense love for each other. She noted the way he would gently push strands from her sister's face in an intimate gesture. She also saw that Elizabeth and Will couldn't keep their hands off each other. While Elizabeth was in conversation with her or Bingley, Will couldn't keep his eyes off his wife and when Elizabeth would see him watching her she would smile and place her hand on his arm or thigh to reassure him.

Will glanced at Jane and saw her studying them, "Jane, I understand that the new marketing plan was your brainchild and I have to say I am very impressed."

Jane was modest, "The initial spark may have been my idea but there have been a lot of talented people working on the plan. I want to thank you for the praise and I'm sure the whole team will be happy to hear it."

When they finished dinner, Will excused them from Charles and Jane as he escorted Elizabeth onto the dance floor.

Charles Bingley looked at the woman whom he had fallen in love with and asked, "So what do you think now." He looked her in the eyes and said, "There is nothing fake about their marriage. Those two are so much in love that it makes me blush just to watch them with each other."

Jane's eyes softened as she saw the expression on Charles face, "You're right, I just couldn't believe it until I saw it with my own eyes." She shook her head, "She disliked him so intensely before that I thought she hated him."

"Maybe the dislike was just to mask her love for him." Bingley said, "You see Darcy's loved her since she was sixteen and he hurt her badly the first night he met her because she was so young."

Bingley explained what had happened the night that Darcy met her sister and as she listened she felt empathy for the heartbreak that both Will and her sister had felt because of the circumstances of their meeting.

"Jane," Bingley said as he saw her eyes soften, "I love you and I have for a very long time."

"I love you too, Charles," Jane said as the tears started to flow, "and it took you long enough to say it."

Charles laughed as he reached over to kiss the woman he loved with all of his being, "Jane Bennet, will you marry me."

"Yes, I will you silly fool." Jane said as she stroked his face with overflowing love, "I've been waiting for you all of my life."

"Would you like to dance, my love." Charles asked.

"Yes, I would."

Elizabeth saw the moments before Charles led Jane out onto the dance floor and motioned to Will to look. He smiled as he watched the kiss between the two.

"I think those two will be alright." Will said as he turned his attention to his beautiful wife who was swaying seductively in his arms.

"I believe that you are right." Elizabeth agreed as she moved her fingers across the silkiness of his shirt enjoying the feeling of his muscles beneath her hands.

Will slid his hands up his wife's thigh and with a roguish grin moved up underneath her skirt to feel the softness of her lingerie. With his fingers he moved under the fabric and felt her warm skin.

"Are you ready to go home, my dear?" He said and the passion in his voice was music to her ears.

Elizabeth went to tell Charles and Jane that they were leaving and Jane nodded before she whispered something in her ear.

Elizabeth's face split into a grin and went to find Will at the table. As they were leaving the restaurant, Elizabeth told him, "They are getting married."

Will was joyous for his friend, "It's about time."

The drive home didn't take long and when they got there, Neal was just bringing Georgie home.

Elizabeth led her husband passed the two teenagers and took him upstairs to their bedroom. A few minutes later, they heard the door open and close.

Georgie knocked on Will and Elizabeth's bedroom door and as she came in she had a smile on her face and threw herself on their bed. Will was in the bathroom getting ready for bed and she gushed, "Elizabeth he is so nice, everyone was. I had so much fun, we played arcades, mini golf and we even drove little race cars. Neal is intelligent and thoughtful." She whispered, "He even kissed me goodnight and I liked it."

"Georgie that's wonderful." Elizabeth said as Will came out of the bathroom, "I'm so happy for you."

She hugged her brother, "Thank you for letting me go."

"You're welcome." Will said, "It's late so you'd better get to bed."

"I can take a hint." Georgie laughed as she left the room and winked at her brother, "You just have to say that you want to be alone with Elizabeth."

"She's growing up." Will said with a smile, "Are you ready for bed, Mrs. Darcy?"

"I've been ready since we left the dance floor." She grinned and turned on the stereo before she moved into Will's arms. "So where were we?" She asked playfully.

He moved his hand under her skirt with one hand and unzipped her skirt with the other. As he let the skirt drop; he pulled her blouse over her head and she stood before him with only tiny wisps of silk left on her. She undressed him and they moved to the bed where she indulged his every desire until he cried out with pleasure.

He was equally attentive to her needs and they made love to each other until they lay exhausted and spent wrapped in each other's arms.


	16. Chapter 16

The next morning, Will and Elizabeth were still in bed wrapped in each other's arms when they heard a horrible pounding on the door.

The couple looked at each other, wondering who would be at the door at 7:00am on Sunday morning. A few minutes later as the pounded continued, Georgie arrived knocking at their door while they were hastily dressing.

"It's Aunt Catherine with Anne and I'm not opening the door." Georgie was horrified and she shivered in disgust, "I'll be in my room, so let me know when they leave."

"Aunt Catherine." Elizabeth repeated, "This is the Aunt Catherine that your aunt warned me about. This is the woman who was your mother's best friend who wants you to marry her daughter Anne."

"The one and only." Will said with a sigh.

"Do you suppose she has found out about our marriage and that is her reason for appearing here so early this morning?" Elizabeth's eyes sparkled with amusement.

"Yes." Will answered as he finished dressing and said, "I'll go downstairs and get rid of them."

"Not on your life," Elizabeth was adamant, "I have to witness this for myself."

"I don't think I'll ever understand you, my sweet." Will said with a laugh as he put his arm around her waist and walked her downstairs to the front room.

Will opened the door and an older woman imperiously entered the room, Elizabeth noticed that she was dressed impeccably but that everything she wore seemed a bit old-fashioned and she assumed this was Aunt Catherine. The other woman was slightly built with mousy hair but there was a look of confidence about her.

Will felt Elizabeth straighten her shoulders and then she walked across the room and threw her arms around Aunt Catherine, "You must be Aunt Catherine, I'm so pleased to meet you. I've heard so much about you."

As Catherine pushed Elizabeth away from her with a sour expression on her face, Elizabeth's eyes twinkled as she looked at her husband and there was a slight smirk.

"Who the hell are you to be addressing me thus?" Catherine said with disgust.

Will stepped in, "This is my wife Elizabeth, Aunt Catherine."

"No, I will not stand for this." Catherine looked down her nose at Elizabeth, "My lawyers will have this marriage annulled before you can say the words and then you will be free of this _child_."

Will just laughed, "There will be no annulment, Aunt Catherine." He strode over to his wife and kissed her soundly, "Elizabeth is my wife and I will not let her go."

"You are to be married to Anne." Aunt Catherine insisted with a catch of desperation in her voice, "It was the fondest wish of both your mother and me."

Will started to speak but Anne interrupted him, "Mother you know very well that I will never marry Will, he's not exactly my type." Anne smiled as she appraised Elizabeth and winked, "Now your wife is much more my type. Will and I seem to have the same taste."

Will laughed a hearty laugh while Elizabeth looked confused.

"Mother conveniently keeps forgetting that I am not into men and that I have a girlfriend back in New York." Anne explained before she turned back to Will, "Now if I had met your wife first I would have her dumped my girlfriend in a heartbeat."

"I'm flattered, but sorry." Elizabeth chuckled as she glanced at Will, "I only have eyes for my husband."

Will beamed with delight as he picked her up and kissed her, "Want to go upstairs? I'll show you how much I'm into my wife."

"Will," Elizabeth chastised him, "We have company, we cannot spend the day in bed. Plus I've got homework to do."

Will put her down and looked a little chagrined, "Elizabeth is still in her last semester of high school."

"What is she pregnant?" Aunt Catherine looked livid, "Is that the reason you married her?"

"No, I'm not pregnant." Elizabeth smiled and rolled her eyes, "Geez, can't a teenage girl get married without everyone thinking that she's pregnant." She laughed as she saw the look on Catherine's face.

Will joined in as she laughed and even Anne got a chuckle out of her mother's discomfiture.

"So how did you find out about our marriage?" Will asked with a grin at Catherine.

"Margaret told me and she thought it was quite funny." Catherine said with a savage snarl.

"I bet she did." Elizabeth giggled before addressing Anne, "I'm very pleased to meet you by the way."

"I'll bet." Anne said with a laugh, "Glad to see that I'm not after your husband is my guess."

"Well that's true." Elizabeth said, "He's had woman coming out of his ears for years and they keep popping up like weeds especially that bitch, Caroline Bingley."

"Oh her," Anne rolled her eyes, "I could tell you some stories about that one."

Elizabeth linked her arm with Anne's and said, "Well let's find some privacy so that you can tell me."

As Catherine watched her daughter leave with Elizabeth she said, "So what is it going to take to get that little twit out your life?"

"Aunt Catherine," Will tried to be patient, "I love Elizabeth, I always will and she is part of my life forever."

"So if she's not pregnant, how did she get you to marry her?" Catherine's eyes were brutal.

"I'm the one who insisted on marriage." Will told her bluntly, "I knew she was too young but I wanted her to be my wife so badly that I rushed her into marriage. I'm not letting her go ever so if you want to have a relationship with Georgie and I then you had better get used to my wife because she is here to stay." His eyes lowered in anger, "And I don't ever want you to call her names again. Am I understood?"

He glared at Catherine who blanched and said, "Yes, I understand." She looked around and asked quickly, "Where is Georgiana?"

"She's upstairs hiding until you leave." Will said truthfully, "So if anyone from this house is going, it will be you."

Before Catherine could respond there was a knock on the door. "Boy this has turned into a circus today."

He went to the door and answered it to an older couple dressed casually, "How may I help you?" He asked politely.

"We're here to see our niece, Elizabeth." The woman answered, "I'm Melanie Gardiner and this is my husband Ed."

"Oh," Will said with surprise, "The Gardiner's, Elizabeth's told me about you." He motioned them to enter, "Come on in."

Elizabeth came into the room and saw who was standing there; she ran to her aunt and uncle and hugged them affectionately.

"So are you going to introduce us to your husband?" Melanie asked, "It's not like you even told us that you were dating anyone." She said with a laughing as she played the guilt card.

"It's not my fault that you two always take a 2-month vacation from Thanksgiving to New Years during the holidays every year." Elizabeth threw back at her aunt with a smile.

"You know very well that we feel that the children should experience different cultures instead of getting caught up in the commercialism of the holidays." Melanie stated her views.

"Speaking of the children, where are they?" Elizabeth asked as she looked around for them.

"We stopped by your parents and Jane offered to watch the children while we got to know your husband." Ed said, "She and her fiancé are going to bring them by a little later."

"So are you going to introduce us?" Melanie asked impatiently.

Elizabeth blushed that she had forgotten her manners, "Will this is my uncle, Edward Gardiner and my aunt, Melanie Gardiner." She continued with the introductions, "Aunt and Uncle this is my husband, Will Darcy, CEO of Pemberly Winery."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Melanie said as she hugged him.

Ed Gardiner slapped Darcy on the back, "I'm glad to finally meet you and now young man, you are going to tell me how you managed to win the heart of my favorite niece."

"I'd be happy to." Will said with a smile, "I'd like to introduce you to my mother's best friend, Catherine de Bourgh and her daughter Anne but to me she is Aunt Catherine."

After the pleasantries were completed the party sat down to talk.

"So you still didn't tell us how you two met." Ed Gardiner pursued his interest, "Since we've never heard of you before this should be good."

Elizabeth and Will looked at each other they had talked about how their relationship would be discussed with other people and had come up with an acceptable compromise.

"We met two years ago, Uncle Ed." Elizabeth said, "At the Pemberly Christmas Party when I went with Dad."

"I fell in love with your niece at first sight but because she was only 16, I tried to forget about her." Will told the half truth, "Just before she turned 18, she befriended my sister, Georgie and began hanging around the house."

"Will and I got to know each other well during those times." Elizabeth told him, "I still wasn't sure because of the difference in our ages but Will persisted and he took me on a romantic date for my 18th birthday." She stroked her husband's face, "It's no wonder that I fell in love with him."

"At the Pemberly Christmas Party, two years after we first met, I asked Elizabeth to marry me and she agreed." Will looked a little sheepish, "Elizabeth wanted to wait until she graduated but I convinced her to marry me the next weekend. I know it was impetuous but I love her so much I couldn't wait to have her as my wife."

"Idiot." Catherine stood in disgust and strode around the room, "You wanted this little piece of trash and she held out on you." Her voice was full of venom, "I can't believe that you fell for that load of bullshit."

"I told you earlier that you were not to insult my wife." Will's face was a dark cloud of furious anger, "You will leave my house and never darken my door again." Will took her by the arm and walked her to the door.

Elizabeth stood as she saw Anne get up to follow her mother, "Anne, you are welcome to stay if you would like."

"I should go." Anne said with a smile, "But Sandy, my girlfriend will be extremely entertained by what happened here today." Anne winked at Elizabeth, "And if you ever decide to switch teams, I wouldn't kick you out of my bed."

Elizabeth blushed as she walked with Anne to the door where Catherine was sputtering and mumbling to herself. Will hugged Anne as she left and shut the door behind her.

"Good riddance." He said with a trace of anger still in his voice.

Before they started back to her aunt and uncle, Elizabeth moved into Will's arms and kissed him until he forgot all about Catherine de Bourgh. He picked her up and swung her around in a circle. "What would I do without you?" He asked his wife in a voice husky with need.

"I was about to ask myself the same question." Ed Gardiner said and when Will and Elizabeth looked around they saw Ed and Melanie Gardiner standing in the doorway as well as Georgie.

"I heard a ruckus." Georgie said with a smile, "I came to investigate and am glad that I did, I wouldn't have wanted to miss that for anything in the world." She smiled and hugged her brother, "Aunt Catherine has deserved that for a very long time."

"Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner, this is my sister Georgiana."

"Call me Georgie."

"And we're Uncle Ed and Aunt Melanie." Ed Gardiner said as he smiled, "I like this one, she reminds me of Lizzie."

Will groaned as he winked at his wife, "I know Elizabeth is a very bad influence on my sister."

"I've offered more than once to disappear from your life if that was an issue." Elizabeth said with a giggle.

"I also have told you more than once that you're good for a laugh or two and that I liked to have you around." Will kissed her with a passion that he couldn't deny.

"Uhumm." Georgie cleared her throat loudly, "They do this a lot and its better that we just disappear because they won't even notice anyone else is alive."

"That is not true." Elizabeth moved away from her husband.

"Yes it is." Will said as he pulled her back and kissed her again.

"Will, we have guests, you are being rude." Elizabeth pushed him away with a laugh, "We'll finish this later."

"I will hold you to that." Will said with a wolfish grin.

"Newlyweds." Melanie laughed as the doorbell rang again.

"Who could it be this time?" Will asked as he started for the door and opened it to Jane, Charles and four children who went running passed Will and threw themselves at Elizabeth.

"Cousin Elizabeth." They all cried together.

"These unruly children are ours." Melanie signaled to the kids, "They are Peter, Patty, Penny and Peggy."

"We're the 4 P's." The youngest Penny piped up, "Mother says that we could be a rock group when we get older."

"This is my husband Will and his sister Georgie." Elizabeth introduced everyone.

The kids surrounded Will and Georgie with the cry, "Cousin Will, Cousin Georgie." There was an abundance of flailing limbs and hugs all around.

"Wow." Georgie said after they had been greeted by all of the children, "They are a handful." She turned to look at Jane and Bingley, "I don't think that we've met yet, I'm Georgie."

"I'm Jane." Elizabeth's sister said, "Georgie, it's nice to meet you, I've heard lots of great things about you."

After an enjoyable afternoon spent with the Gardiners, Jane and Bingley, Will made a suggestion, "I think we should all go out to dinner tonight."

It was agreed and Will called to make the reservations at his favorite place. On the drive to the restaurant, Will, Elizabeth and Georgie led with the Gardiners following and Charles and Jane in the rear.

While they were waiting for dinner to be served, Georgie entertained the kids by taking them upstairs where the restaurant had a few video games.

There was a lot of talking and laughter at the table as Will and Elizabeth were lost in each other. After Elizabeth left to go to the restroom a horrible voice cut through the chatter.

"Charles, I didn't know you were going to be here."

"Caroline," Bingley said with a sigh, "What are you doing here?"

"This is my favorite restaurant." Caroline said with a flourish, "I'm a regular here." She pretended that she had just seen Will Darcy, "Will, darling it's been a long time." Before he could say anything she glanced at Jane, "And who is this?"

"This is my fiancé; Jane Bennet." Charles said with exasperated impatience.

"Another Bennet." Caroline's lip rolled in disgust, "They seem to be crawling out of the woodwork." She turned back to Will, "Thank goodness that you dumped that hideous Eliza Bennet. What you ever saw in her, I will never know."

"I'd say it was the sex." A voice from behind Caroline said.

Caroline nodded her head in agreement when she turned around and saw Elizabeth who walked passed her and crawled into her husband's lap and kissed him passionately.

"Caroline," Charles asked, "Have you met Will's wife Elizabeth."

"Will's…. wi… wif… WIFE." Caroline sputtered with disbelief, "He couldn't be married to that little tramp."

Elizabeth tore herself away from her husband and flashed her ring, "I can assure you that he did."

Caroline tried to collect herself and looked around the table where she spotted the Gardiners, "Who are these people, they must be more Bennets as they have no style and no class at all." Caroline was looking over the Gardiner's casual clothes with disgust.

Elizabeth laughed and Jane said quickly, "They have one of the most popular fashion houses in San Francisco."

"What for low class knock-offs." Caroline looked down her nose at them.

"Actually my wife designed the dress that you are wearing." Ed Gardiner said with some pride, "So unless you are in the habit of buying low class knock-offs then I would say no."

"But this is an EMG original." Caroline said with pride.

"And that stands for Edward, Melanie Gardiner." Elizabeth supplied with a giggle.

"You two are EMG Designs." Caroline swayed in place not quite believing it was possible.

"In the flesh." Melanie said with a smile.

Just then Georgie came back downstairs with the noisy children.

Caroline held her head and said snidely, "I don't know why the restaurant allows brats like those in here. I wonder where the idiot parents are."

Ed answered quickly, "That would be us."

"Oh no." Caroline staggered as she realized she had insulted the famous designers a second time. "Such sweet children." She patted them on the head.

"Caroline if you don't like this restaurant why don't you just leave?" Will said without any compassion.

"This is my favorite restaurant." Caroline said, "I always come here, this is _our_ restaurant and I can't believe you brought your date to our restaurant."

"No Caroline, this has always been my place." Will suddenly understood, "You just come here on the chance that you will run into me."

Elizabeth said, "Yes, you've been here every time we have except for our first date." She blushed when she looked at Will.

Elizabeth stood up and looked at Caroline with angry eyes, "I would suggest that you stop stalking my husband, otherwise I will have to remind you that he is mine." Elizabeth eyes were flashing, "Do I make myself clear. You will not bother my family ever again or else, I will have to do something about it and you do not want that."

Georgie spoke up for the first time, "Lizzie's right, you don't want to make her mad. No good comes from that."

Caroline backed away when she heard another voice, "If you want any more of our clothes we will sell them to you at full price." Melanie Gardiner spoke softly but her eyes were cold with anger, "Lizzie is family and may have them at no charge."

Caroline turned and walked for the exit as fast as her legs would carry her. She did not hear the laughter that erupted from the table at her disappearing back.

"That was fun." Georgie said with a smirk and she asked Will, "Is there anymore of your ex-girlfriends that we can rough up."

Will was laughing so hard that his shoulders started shaking, "I think I can find a few addresses."

"You're just saying that because they always treated you like you were six." Elizabeth said with a smile.

"That's true but that bitch was the worst." She looked at Bingley, "No offense to you."

"None taken." Charles said with a grin at Jane, "I wouldn't tolerate her if she wasn't my sister."

"Now Jane tell me about your young man." Melanie asked her niece.

The rest of the evening was spent in enjoyable companionship. The little Gardiner's loved Georgie and would not leave her alone for the whole evening.

When they left the restaurant and the kids were loaded into the car and promptly fell asleep, Melanie Gardiner said to Elizabeth, "I approve of your choice." She looked at Will, "I don't think there is another couple out there who loves each other as much as you two do."

Will glanced at his wife and hoped that what her aunt said was true. "Are you ready to go home and go to bed, you did promise me that we would finish what we started earlier?"

"You know I never forget my promises." Elizabeth said with a smile before she gave her aunt and uncle a hug, "We'll see you soon."

Will helped Elizabeth and Georgie into the car. He sighed with pleasure as he thought of what he and Elizabeth would be doing in a half hour.


	17. Chapter 17

When Will woke Elizabeth up in the morning, she just smiled sleepily at him and said, "Its Sunday, my darling, why are you waking me so early."

Will woke Elizabeth up the following Sunday morning and she just smiled sleepily at him and said, "Its Sunday, my darling, why are you waking me so early."

The light shone is her husband's eyes, "I thought we could go for a drive this morning or something else if you want." He bent and kissed her lips, "After last weekend's craziness, I just want to spend the day alone with my beautiful wife."

Elizabeth stroked Will's face with her fingers, "I'd love to spend the day with you but I've got homework to do and I need to study for a test that one of my sadistic teachers scheduled for Monday."

Will groaned and pulled her closer, "Are you sure that you have to study?"

"Yes, I have to study and get good grades; you want me to get into a good college, don't you?" She said as she kissed him.

Will pulled her even closer and buried his face in her hair. He kissed her hungrily and she responded with a passion that she couldn't deny. He found her full breasts and caressed her as he kissed her desperately. She raked her nails lightly against his back and he moaned with intense pleasure. He dropped his mouth to taste her beautiful breasts and she responded passionately.

They pleasured each other until they reached the ultimate release and lay entwined in each other's arms.

As Elizabeth lay comfortably wrapped in her husband's arms, he kissed her fore head and asked, "Elizabeth, what colleges are you going to apply to?"

She looked at him, giggled and kissed his lips, "Sometimes you ask the funniest questions at the strangest times." She looked up into his eyes and saw the intense look in his eyes and answered with a shrug, "You know all the normal colleges, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, Berkeley and UCLA."

As she watched him, his face was unreadable and she couldn't help but wonder why. Will forced his lips into a smile and said, "Well I guess you had better get to your homework done if you are going to get into one of those colleges." He pulled her tight to him and kissed her lightly, "Plus I'm hoping that you will get done early so that we can spend some time together."

"I'll do my best." She said as Will pushed her out of bed. He watched her as she got dressed before he got up, dressed and walked toward his study. Working was not the way he had planned to spend his Sunday but if Elizabeth was working, he figured he might as well work also.

An hour later, he heard a knock on his door and lifted his head in delighted surprise because he thought Elizabeth had finished her studies early. He called, "Come in."

Georgie came in and his whole body deflated with disappointment. Georgie noticed his reaction and said with a grin, "Elizabeth is still studying but I thought you would like some company." Her face widened in a wicked smile, "Silly me."

Will laughed and said, "Of course I'm happy for your company."

Georgie looked at her brother who seemed preoccupied and deep in thought, "Will, is there something bothering you?"

"You know me so well." He sighed as he thought for a moment before saying, "Elizabeth is planning to go to college."

"I know that," Georgie said with an unreadable expression on her face, "and so did you. Why else do you think she works so hard at school?"

"I knew that she was going to college." He shook his head, "But I never actually thought about her leaving us to go to college."

"Oh, I see." Georgie nodded her head, "To you college was just this vague idea and you didn't consider the reality of what it would mean for Elizabeth to go to college."

"That's it exactly." Will cupped his head in his hands, "I can't lose Elizabeth now because I love her so much that I can't even bear the thought of her leaving. She mentioned going to Harvard and Yale and that is just unacceptable because I can't imagine her being gone for the whole school year." He looked into his sister's expressive eyes, "Georgie, what am I going to do?"

"Big brother, it's not like she's leaving tomorrow." Georgie said reasonably, "You've still have a while before a decision has to be made." She hugged him and said, "Besides remember that Elizabeth loves you, too and I'm sure she feels the same way as you do."

He looked at Georgie and knew that she was just trying to help but Elizabeth still hadn't told him that she loved him and this was another sore spot in his marriage for Will.

He sighed and said, "You're right, of course, I'm worrying for nothing." Just saying that out loud buoyed his feelings and he said, "We have plenty of time to work out the logistics. We are married so it's not like she's a normal teenager leaving her parents for college." He looked at Georgie, "Thanks, little sister, your talk helped me a lot."

Darcy tried to concentrate of business for the next few hours but his mind kept thinking taking him back to the college issue. He was no closer to an answer a few hours later when Elizabeth walked into his study.

He couldn't help but smile when he saw her and his heart surged with love for this woman.

She sidled up to her husband with a mischievous smile and said, "I made sure that I finished early so we would have some time together." She sat on Will and straddled his lap as she said softly in his ear, "Are you happy?"

"Extremely," Will said as he pulled his wife in for a soft kiss but when he touched her, a hungry need erupted from him and his drank from her lips like a man dying of thirst. She responded by wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist.

With a moan of anticipation he stood and sat her on the edge of his desk. With quick movements he pulled off her shorts and panties. Elizabeth looked at him her eyes wide with surprise.

"Will, we can go upstairs."

His voice was a low growl when he whispered, "I want you right now."

She leaned forward to unbutton his jeans and slid them off his hips. She leaned back as she quivered with anticipation. He ran his hands over the curve of her hips as he took her with desperate need and passion. They made love with a ferocity that brought them to the culmination of their pleasure quickly. When they both reached the peak as they found their release, he lifted her into his arms and pulled her back with him onto his office chair.

"I wanted you so badly," Will said as he cuddled her to his body, "Did I hurt you?"

"I may have a few bruises in a couple of unusual places." She said with a motion toward the desk, "But I enjoyed that every bit as much as you did." She kissed him gently and moved her hands under his shirt as she explored his back while she slipped her hands lower to his rear end.

An instant later, Elizabeth raised herself with a jolt and stood up with an uttered exclamation, "Oh no!"

Will reached to pull her back down on his lap and he asked, "What's wrong, my dear."

"Will, we didn't use protection." She moved away from him and found her cloths and dressed quickly, "What if I'm pregnant?"

Will stood up and pulled on his jeans, "Darling, we'll worry about that when the time comes." _That wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. He glanced up at his wife's worried face and realized that he hoped she had gotten pregnant. But he certainly wouldn't express that thought to her._

He pulled her into his arms to comfort her and said, "I'm sorry, baby, I just wanted you so badly that I forgot."

"It's not your fault." Elizabeth said, "You weren't the only one who forgot." She let her breath out with a sigh. "There's nothing either of us can do about it now."

He nuzzled her neck and drank in her scent as he said in a husky voice, "I think it's time to go upstairs to our bedroom."

"You are insatiable." She said with a weak smile.

"I'm not the only one." He said as he lifted her from her feet and proceeded upstairs where he would make love to his wife at a very leisurely pace this time.

Elizabeth didn't sleep well that night because she was worried and woke up to Will gently shaking her while he kissed her lightly, "You're going to be late for school."

She glanced at the clock and snuggled back into his chest, "I've got another half hour to sleep."

"No you don't." Will was firm, "Remember I made an appointment to take your bug to my mechanic to get a tune up." He pulled her to him and lifted her onto his lap to cradle her, "We need to drop it off and then I'm taking you to school."

"Yeah, I forgot." Elizabeth said as she moved to get up.

"Not so fast." Will said with a smirk and said, "You haven't given me my morning kiss."

With a lift of her eye, she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and stood up quickly.

He stood, pulled her to him and wrapped her in his arms, "That was not a kiss." He leaned in to kiss her, "This is a kiss."

He captured her lips with a passionate kiss that left her breathless for more. She raised her eyes to look at him through dark lashes. He kissed the top of her head, turned her toward the bathroom and patted her on the back side. "Scoot before we are late and I'll go make sure that Georgie is up."

After he dropped Elizabeth and Georgie off at the high school, Will drove to the winery and went to Bingley's office. As he walked into the office he found Charles and Jane locked into a passionate embrace.

Will cleared his throat loudly and as the couple broke apart with acute embarrassment he said, "This is a place of business." He grinned wickedly and said, "This kind of behavior is not acceptable to management."

Charles was grinning and pulled Jane closer to him, "Will Darcy expressing a sense of humor, I think that Elizabeth has been a good influence on you."

"You don't know how much." Will thoughts turned to his wife and his grin widened.

"This sounds like the start of some man talk and I certainly don't want to intrude." Jane said as she withdrew from Bingley's embrace and walked to the door before she turned and said, "I've got lots of work to do and this is a place a business."

Will told Charles what had happened the day before and at the end he said, "I want Elizabeth to have a baby but I know she doesn't want to have one until she's out of school." He said a little pensively, "I was only thinking until the end of high school but what if she meant that she wants to wait until after she graduates from college." Will sighed, "My life has become so complicated and I don't know how work this dilemma out."

Charles walked Will to his office and said, "You and Elizabeth with figure everything out because she is a reasonable woman." Bingley looked at his friend with a chuckle, "Although you're not reasonable, you do love her and I think in time you will both find the right answer."

Will said with a sigh, "You're right; we'll work this out, thanks for listening to me."

"Will I have to talk to you about something and I know you won't like it." Bingley said as he picked up a stack of paper before he began to speak quickly, "Now that you are married, you are expected to attend more social events. People want to meet your wife and as a prominent business owner in the community you are expected to be in attendance to the kind of events that I know you do not like and have not attended in the past."

"Are those the invitations?" Will asked and Charles nodded, "I'll take them home so that Elizabeth and I can pick the ones that we want to attend." He saw Bingley take a deep breath, "Does that make you happy?"

"It most certainly does because I know that Elizabeth will be able to pick what is best for the two of you."

"Now with that out of the way we should probably get some actual work done." Will said with a laugh as he looked at his friend.

Elizabeth walked to English class and as she went in she was surprised to see a substitute teacher at the desk but that was not anything to the astonishment when he turned and she saw that it was Greg Williams. This was the man she had scheduled a date with but that Will had made her cancel when they starting dating. She cursed the bad luck that had brought him to her school at this time.

"I'm Mr. Williams, your teacher, Miss Carlson has left to get married and so I am going to be taking over for the rest of the year." He caught Elizabeth's eyes and smiled, "Please pass your homework forward and we will get started for the day."

When the class ended, Elizabeth sighed with relief as she gathered her books until she heard his well-modulated voice call out, "Miss Bennet… I mean Mrs. Darcy, could you please meet me here after your last class this afternoon, I need to discuss your homework."

"Yes sir." She said and heard him laugh softly.

After her last class, she found Georgie and said, "Mr. Williams wants to discuss my homework right now." She said, "Would you please let Will know that I'll be there as soon as possible."

"No problem." Georgie said as she walked toward the parking lot.

Elizabeth went into her English classroom and saw that Mr. Williams was waiting for her. "You needed to talk to me about my homework." Elizabeth said as she walked toward the desk.

"That was just a little white lie." Mr. Williams said as he walked around to the front of his desk and sat on the corner.

"Then why did you want to see me?" Elizabeth asked as she started to feel more and more uncomfortable.

"I wanted to make sure that things wouldn't be awkward between us." He said with a smooth voice. "I mean I was awfully disappointed when you broke our date so abruptly last year but I guess I can understand now since I have found out that you have married Will Darcy. I mean, how could a lowly teacher who met you in a Jamba Juice compete with a wealthy man like Darcy?"

"I didn't marry Will for his money." Elizabeth was furious that he would make those allegations, "I cancelled our date when Will and I got serious that's all."

"When you got serious," Williams openly mocked her, "You got so serious after just one date. I find that very hard to believe."

Elizabeth eyes grew wide, "How do you know when Will and I started dating? Have you been stalking me?"

"Of course not," His raised his eyes, "But I do have ways of finding out information that I want to know." He moved closer to her and she tried to back away but he caught her by the arm, "I wanted you very badly so I really needed to find out why you had cancelled our date."

"Mr. Williams, let me go." Elizabeth demanded as she struggled to free herself.

"Not until I get what I want." Williams said with a soft voice that sent horrified shivers down Elizabeth's spine and she struggled even harder.

"Wickham, get your hands off my wife." Elizabeth turned with relief to find her husband striding into the room with furious anger darkening his face.

"Whatever you want," He said smoothly as he let her go and she ran to Will, "But did you know that your sweet little wife here was mine first."

"That's not true." Elizabeth's and Will's voice mingled with their joint refusal.

"Did she ever tell you that she was going out with me when she met you?" He laughed as Will looked down at his wife sharply.

"I guess not." He said with a laugh and demanded, "Now get out of my classroom."

Will put his around Elizabeth and walked her from the room but instead of going toward the parking lot he led her towards the office.

"Where are we going?" She asked.

"To see Principal Annesley," Will's answer was brusque as he opened the door and marched into the principal's office.

"What is going on that you need to burst in on me, Mr. Darcy?" Mrs. Annesley asked.

"I'm here because of the substitute teacher that you hired," Will answered, "I believe that you call him Mr. Williams but his name is really George Wickham and he is a pedophile."

"How do you know that?" The principal was shocked by his pronouncement.

Will sighed, "Before sending Georgie to school here, I had her in a private boarding school back east." He tightened his arm around Elizabeth, "George Wickham was a teacher there and tried to convince my sister to run away with him. I arrived in time to stop them and she admitted everything to me. The school had no choice but to press charges and release him as a teacher once I had caught him in a compromising position with my thirteen year old sister." Will let out the breath he had been holding, "Just a few minutes ago, I caught him in a room alone with my wife and he was holding her against her will as she was begging him to release her and struggling to get free." He motioned to the red hand print on Elizabeth's arm. "I know that they released him from jail on his own recognizance as he awaited trial and he must have somehow secured his freedom by changing his name and leaving the jurisdiction in which he was caught."

Will proceeded to give Mrs. Annesley the details of the school and the name of the police detective who had arrested Wickham.

"I will check this out and if this is as you say then I will press charges against him in this jurisdiction." Mrs. Annesley said as Will moved to leave.

"Goodnight Mrs. Annesley and you will find the events as I have related them to you." Will said stiffly as he guided Elizabeth through the door and walked her to the car.

On the way home, Will stopped to pick up Elizabeth's car and when they had secured their cars in the driveway, he whispered in her ear, "We need to talk."

She nodded as she let him lead her to their bedroom and as they entered he locked the door to ensure their privacy.

"Will…" She started to speak but he interrupted.

"Elizabeth Darling, did he hurt you?" Will asked as he kissed her lightly.

"Just a little bit," Elizabeth admitted as she looked into his eyes and saw the love in their depths, "What he said was true, he was the man that I had a date with the day after my birthday."

"It's okay; you couldn't have known his true character." Will said with tenderness as he kissed his wife to comfort her, "And we both knew he was lying about the other because you were truly an innocent when we married. I never doubted you for a minute." Will's voice cracked with heavy emotion, "I love you, my lovely Elizabeth."

"Will, I love you too." Elizabeth said as she reached out to stroke his face with her fingers.

Will's heart surged with love and joy as he pulled her to him. _She loves me. _He could hardly believe that he was hearing the words that he had been longing to hear for such a long time. He lifted her up and twirled her in a circle with extreme happiness.

He lay her down on their bed and the happy couple made love long into the night until they were exhausted but still exhilarated.


	18. Chapter 18

Will woke up on Tuesday morning with a glow in his heart. _Elizabeth loves me._ He looked at his sleeping wife and felt blessed by her presence. His unhappiness of the past few years was all worth it now to have her here with in his bed and home. Her love was something he cherished and couldn't quite believe that he was lucky enough to have won her heart.

She looked so beautiful while she was sleeping and he couldn't help himself as he leaned in and kissed her sweet lips. She began to make purring noises in her throat and she kissed him back passionately. He took her into his arms and kissed the sensitive hollow of her neck.

She ran her hands along his naked bottom as she pulled his hips closer to her. Will groaned and moved sensually against her hips until she writhed and arched her back to bring him closer to her. His head moved to take in her hard nipple. Her moans grew louder as he suckled her with a feverish need.

"Please, Will I want you now!" She moaned as he moved between her thighs and made love with his wife until they collapsed in each other's arms completely satisfied.

"That is a nice way to wake up." Elizabeth said as she kissed her husband gently.

"That was more than nice," Will said as he kissed her back ardently, "That was fantastic."

Elizabeth looked at the clock and sighed, "I have to get ready for school."

"I'll take you and Georgie to school today." Will said fiercely, "I want to make sure that Wickham is not there."

Elizabeth nodded and ran her hands over Will's face, "Everything will be fine." She placed small kisses along his jaw, "I'm sure he will be gone from the school."

As they got dressed, Will noticed the stack of invitations on the dresser and picked them up, "Elizabeth, Bingley says we need to pick one of these events to attend." He placed them in her hands, "I want you to pick something that appeals to you. I hate these things." He said as he pulled her to him, "But I will be happy to attend if it means I will have you by my side."

"I'll find something that will benefit both of us." She said with a smile.

When they arrived at the high school, Will walked both Elizabeth and Georgie to the office to meet with Principal Annesley. She was apologetic to Will as she explained, "By the time we had verified your story and sent the police to Mr. Wickham's place of resident, he had fled the location. The police have had no luck in locating him so far."

Will was livid and pacing the room, "Do you have any idea what this could mean for my family?" His fury was mounting as he spoke, "Wickham is free and could come after my sister or my wife at any time."

"I understand your concern, Mr. Darcy but the police believe that he has fled the jurisdiction at this time and we have no reason to believe that he will come back."

"Are you kidding me?" Will's anger was palatable, "You really can't think that it was a coincidence that Wickham showed up to get a job here where both my sister and my wife go to school." Will was still fuming, "Do you really think that it was a coincidence that he asked out Elizabeth when she was my girlfriend? He told my wife that he knew exactly when we started dating and that he had ways of finding out information in this community. I want them to have police escorts."

"Mr. Darcy, please calm down." Principal Annesley tried to be reasonable, "There is no possible way for Wickham to get back into this school without someone noticing him. There is also no reason to believe that Mr. Wickham is violent. The evidence suggests that he will leave the county and seek another situation somewhere else."

Elizabeth moved closer to Darcy and placed her arm around him, "Will there is no way that Wickham will be able to hurt me or Georgie." She pulled his face down to hers and kissed him, "Georgie and I need to be able to live a normal life; we're not porcelain dolls who can be easily broken. We will get through this."

"I agree with Elizabeth." Georgie said with a sigh, "I'm just starting to fit in with the kids in the school and if we have a bodyguard trailing us that will all be destroyed."

"Okay." Will inhaled deeply, "I can't fight both of you." He looked his wife in the eyes, "But if there is any hint that Wickham is back in the area, I will hire a bodyguard for you both."

"If that becomes the case, I will agree to that." Elizabeth approved.

Will didn't look very happy as they left the office and he walked both Elizabeth and Georgie to class and as they walked down the hall he remembered how these boys had been treating his wife.

Will was frustrated that he couldn't do anything about the George Wickham situation but there was something that he could do something about and that was stopping those boys from harassing his Elizabeth. On the drive to his office he came with an idea but he would need help to implement his plan.

When he got to his office he made arrangements for his cousin, Richard Fitzwilliam to meet him at the house after work.

Elizabeth was surprised that Will seemed to be in a good mood when he picked them up from school. He had been waiting outside of Elizabeth's classroom when she exited.

"Will," Elizabeth said as she flung her arms around his neck and lifted herself to kiss him.

"I have to pick you up more often if that is the greeting I am to expect." He said as he captured her lips for a passionate kiss.

After a minute, Elizabeth pulled away from him, "We need to meet Georgie."

"I guess you're right." Will said with a sigh, "But I would like to finish what we just started later tonight."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes, "As if I could ever deny you anything."

"It hasn't always been that way." He grinned, "There was a time when you enjoyed denying me what I wanted."

"It is not always a good thing to have such a good memory." Elizabeth said as she slapped him on the rear end.

They met Georgie at the car and Will drove home quickly as he anticipated some leisurely private time with Elizabeth.

When they pulled up to the house there was a strange car in the driveway and Georgie cried, "Richard."

She jumped out of the car as soon as Will had parked and ran to the door while she flung her arms around her cousin Richard Fitzwilliam.

"Munchkin," He said as he hugged her, "It's good to see you too." He looked at Elizabeth and Will, "Now if you would introduce me to your new sister."

"Richard, this is Will's wife, Elizabeth Darcy." Georgie turned to Elizabeth, "Lizzie this is our cousin Richard Fitzwilliam."

"It's nice to meet you." Elizabeth said with a smile.

"You are one lucky, son of a bitch." Richard said to Will as he looked at Elizabeth, "Why can't I ever find a woman like this?"

"Maybe you're not looking at your local high school." Georgie joked much to Will's chagrin.

"Well I won't argue with that." Richard's booming laughter rang out strong as he looked at Elizabeth, "But what I want to know it what you have done to my perpetually shy cousin, Georgie?"

It was Georgie's turn to blush as Will said with a smile, "You haven't seen anything yet." He put his arm around Elizabeth's shoulder as he opened the front door, "My wife has been a very good influence on Georgie."

Will motioned everyone to the living room and offered Richard a drink.

"I'll take a beer." Richard said while Georgie ran off to get one for him, "So what have you dragged me to Napa for?" Richard asked.

"I have an idea and I'll need all of your help to pull it off." Will said with a wicked smile as he turned to Elizabeth, "Richard is the genius who installed all of the cameras at Pemberly Winery.

"Those cameras work really well." Elizabeth blushed, "The images are very good quality."

"Elizabeth and I were caught by those cameras in a very compromising situation." Will laughed as he made an explanation to his cousin.

"What would have been more surprising is if the cameras hadn't caught them doing anything." Georgie giggled, "These two can't keep their hands off each other."

Will glared at his little sister and then he explained his idea in detail to all three and by the end Elizabeth, Georgie and Richard were laughing with enjoyment.

"So Richard it will be up to you to mount the camera and film the action, we have a guest room where the camera will go." He turned to Georgie, "It's up to you to arrange for the party and make sure that everyone thinks I'm out of town on a business trip." He smiled at his wife with a quick embrace, "You know exactly what you are supposed to do."

"Yes, I think I can pull that off." Elizabeth said with pride, "You are an incredibly evil man."

"I have learned from the best," Will bowed to Elizabeth, "Oh, mighty, 'Master of all pranks.'" He grinned as he kissed her.

"So we are all ready to pull this off on Saturday night." Will had a huge smile on his face.

"If we pull this off," Elizabeth grinned, "I will have to give my crown up to you."

Richard stayed late and had dinner with the Darcy's as they planned every detail of the prank that would make them infamous.

The next day Georgie handed out invitations at school for a party that she was throwing.

Michael Bach was skeptical, "What about your brother, is he going to be there?"

"My brother is going out of town on business." Georgie stuck with the plan, "It's just going to be Elizabeth there and you know how cool she is nothing ever phases her."

Elizabeth made her move by coming up to Michael who had been making his wishes clear to her that he wanted to sleep with her ever since she had gotten married.

"I hope you're coming," Elizabeth's voice was inviting, "Because it will be very lonely and cold in my bed with my husband gone." She ran her hand down his butt to bring her point home.

"Of course I'll be there." Michael Bach was almost wetting himself with excitement, "I'll be happy to warm up your bed."

Elizabeth had to stop herself from shuttering when he grabbed her rear end.

When they got home from school, Richard was there setting up the camera. He showed the Darcy's how the camera angle would be set so that they could get the shot they needed.

Elizabeth filmed her part with her husband standing in front of her as she seduced the camera.

By the time Saturday rolled around and the kids started to arrive; everything was set and they were ready to execute Will's prank.

Since Will was supposed to be out of town, he stayed in the room where Richard was to film the action.

Elizabeth and Georgie greeted the kids as they arrived and as the kids entered the living room they saw that there were flat screen televisions set up all over the room playing music videos.

When Michael Bach arrived and saw Elizabeth, the horny dude said, "I can't wait to get a piece of you." He said in a stage whisper to her and the pack of boys he hung around with laughed.

Elizabeth said in a sultry voice, "This will be a night you will never forget." She leaned into him and whispered, "Meet me in the bedroom in a half hour, it is the third door on the left side. I have everything set up."

"My god, you're hot." He said with excitement in his voice, "I can't wait to get you naked."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes as she turned around to give Georgie the thumbs up. Georgie ran upstairs to let Will and Richard know that everything was set.

In precisely half an hour Mike arrived at the room where Elizabeth had told him to meet her. When he walked in he saw a television in the middle of the room with a note on the DVD player which said "Turn me On.' Mike laughed and did as instructed. Elizabeth face came onto the screen saying in a husky voice, "I will be there in a few minutes, while you're waiting; get undressed, use the lubricant next to the chair and be ready to go when I arrive. I won't have long until I have to call my husband; he's very jealous and violent so we have to be very careful."

He sat in the large chair in front of the television as he watched the Elizabeth on the screen start a strip tease. His eyes opened wide as she started to unbutton her shirt on screen. He undressed quickly, grabbed the bottle she had indicated and poured a healthy measure onto his hand while he watched the screen hungrily. Suddenly he realized as he was massaging himself with the lubricant that his hand was stuck on his penis. He fought to get his hand off his Johnson and kept tugging at it as he realized that the lubricant was actually rubber cement.

To his horror Elizabeth disappeared from the screen and an old lady appeared on screen stripping and wagging her butt at the camera and slapping herself. He tried to raise himself from the seat but he was stuck.

All of the televisions in the living room suddenly stopped playing music and all the kids turned to watch. They saw Mike Bach from the side and they were astounded that he was whacking his Willie to an old lady doing a strip tease.

They roared in laughter as the heard him groan as he pulled at himself. As he grabbed himself with his other hand with a long drawn out moan, Steve Hansen said while trying to control the laughter, "Wow a two hander, he must have it real bad for granny strippers."

The room laughed harder as Mike screamed out as he rocked backward on the screen, "Oh, Oh, Ohhhhh… Yesss." His face turned to the camera with a look of intense pleasure as he pulled himself off the chair.

Mike rocked back in the chair with the force as he hands came free and he cried, "Yesss."

He pulled his legs off the chair and stood up. He got dressed quickly and went to the restroom to clean up before he returned to the party.

When he entered the living room, he found the televisions playing an image of him from the bedroom on an endless loop. It always finished with him looking at the camera with that look of pleasure on his face.

As his classmates saw Mike enter they were roaring with laughter and saying things like, "Hey Mike, my grandma lives in a retirement home so she might be lonely enough to give you a go."

His embarrassment was acute as he moved through the room only to be stopped by the old stripper herself who was passing out flyers and said in a loud voice, "You can catch me anytime you want on ''." To Mike she said, "I'll give you a live show if you'd like," She poked her false teeth out of her mouth, "You might even get lucky."

Mike left the house quickly as the stripping granny said, "He's meeting me at home."

Will and Richard appeared at the head of the staircase and Will said in a voice loud enough to carry, "This has just been uploaded to YouTube for anyone who wants to see it again." Will made his way downstairs and he picked Elizabeth up in his arms and kissed her passionately before he turned to the crowd, "Anyone else who has designs on my wife should beware because this could happen to you." He threatened as he indicated the screens.

The rest of the evening went by quickly as Will spent every moment with his arm around his wife while getting congratulated on greatest prank ever played.

After the last kid had left, Will and Elizabeth went upstairs to their bedroom and after making love a few times fell into an exhausted sleep.


	19. Chapter 19

Elizabeth and Will slept late on Sunday as they had been pleasuring each other until early in the morning. Elizabeth woke first and felt her husband's arms around her. She felt warm and safe snuggled here in his embrace. She feathered soft kisses down his chest as she heard him moan in his sleep. She slid one hand down to his naked rear end and her lips sought his. She kissed him lightly on the lips but then applied more pressure until his lips opened under her questing ones. She heard a growl in his throat as he turned onto his back and pulled her on top of him.

Will deepened the kiss until he heard his wife make soft purring noises. He moved his hand until he found her soft round breasts and ran his thumb over her nipple. He felt her harden under his touch and dipped his mouth to take her into his mouth. Elizabeth was gasping with pleasure as he continued his attentions.

His need for her grew so he repositioned her on his lap and felt her warmth enfold him until they felt the waves of ecstasy roll over them as they found their release together.

Will held his wife until he fell asleep and when he woke she was gone. Disappointment washed over him as he felt her loss.

He took a quick shower and found Elizabeth studying in the living room. He crossed to her quickly and kissed her on the top of her head, "I missed you when I woke up."

"We slept so late that I had to make up for lost time." Elizabeth indicated her books.

"Well that's what I wanted to do too." He said in a velvety smooth voice, "I really enjoyed our activities this morning and wanted to do that again.

He lifted her to her feet and pressed his body against hers as he moved with her.

"Will." Elizabeth pulled away from him with a smile, "I need to get this done otherwise I'm going to be playing catch up all week and if that happens," she pressed her lips to his, "we won't have any time for extracurricular activities."

"Okay," He let her go with a pat on her bottom, "But as soon as you are done, you're all mine."

"I'll agree to those conditions." She lifted her eyebrows, "But you've got to leave so that I can concentrate."

He reluctantly agreed and went upstairs to find Georgie. He could hear music from her room and knocked on the door.

"Come in." She called.

"So how is your homework going?" Will asked as he peeked through the door to find her lying on her bed reading a novel.

"I didn't have much and I finished mine yesterday."

"I wish Elizabeth didn't have very much." Will grumbled as he turned to the door to leave.

"That's what you get for marrying a senior in high school." Georgie joked with him.

Will turned with a serious expression on his face, "Do you think that it is really hard for Elizabeth to be married to me?"

Georgie turned and looked in her brother's eyes; she put down her book, crossed to him as she slid her hand into his.

"Will, you love each other." Georgie smiled indulgently, "She probably never imagined getting married while she was still in high school but your relationship with her has never been normal." Georgie sighed, "Yeah, she's had to put up with a lot of crap but I think it's worth it to her because she has you."

"Do you really think so?" Will's voice was low.

"Will, I can't believe that you're even asking that." Georgie shook her head, "When I look at you two, I know what love is supposed to look like."

"When did you get so wise?" Will asked as he studied his sister.

"I guess that happened when you fell in love with my best friend." Georgie quipped, "I had to become a philosopher. And right now, I think that you're just at a lose end so why don't you find something constructive to do for a few hours until Elizabeth is done."

He knew she was right and with a sudden inspiration he said, "You're right, thanks." He bolted from Georgie's room as he left to put his plan into action.

When Elizabeth got done with her homework and studying, she went to find Will. As she stepped out of the living room she saw a trail of rose petals that led upstairs and as she got upstairs she found on the top of the stairs, Will's shirt that he had been wearing this morning.

She kept following the trail of roses and found his pants at the entrance to their bedroom. As she entered the room she saw Will waiting for her with just a towel draped across his waist

She smiled as she crossed the candlelit room, "I suppose that you think you are very clever." Elizabeth said as she climbed into the bed beside him.

He just smiled wickedly, "I thought it would be fun to give each other massages." His voice was husky as he reached for his wife and kissed her. He held up a towel for her and his eyes followed her hungrily as she removed her shirt and revealed her bare breasts. She unbuttoned and removed her jeans slowly as his eyes took in her beautiful figure. As she slipped out of her pants, he saw that she was wearing a very revealing lacy creation that he had bought her while on their honeymoon.

She held up the towel and he watched as she removed her panties. She twirled them on her finger and tossed them to him. He caught the bit of lace easily and was almost desperate to take her in his arms. She wrapped the towel around her and slid into the bed to lie face down.

He stood and moved to the bedside table as he poured a measure of massage oil onto his hands. He straddled his wife's body as he lowered the towel down to her waist. He bent and kissed a line down her back and felt her shiver with anticipation.

He began rubbing her shoulders and he heard her moan with pleasure as worked at the tight muscles of her back and neck. He moved slowly down her back as he rubbed and kneaded her body until she quivered from his touch. When he reached her rear end, he turned and worked from her feet up her calves to her thighs. Her moans were getting louder as he rubbed the inside of her thigh.

She turned over onto her back and said in a seductive voice, "It's your turn now."

He sighed with pleasure as he turned onto his stomach. He couldn't wait for her touch and as he felt her hands rub the oil into his shoulders and neck he relaxed under her ministrations as she worked her way down his back. She worked her way down his legs to his calves as he groaned with the pleasure she was drawing from him.

"Turn over." She said softly and he complied as she rubbed the front of his legs until she made her way up his thighs. She removed the towel and found that he was already aroused and she let her own towel drop as her husband reached up and pulled her down to him.

Together they took each other to new heights of pleasure until the waves of delight washed over both of them as they reached the pinnacle of pleasure.

They lay sated and exhausted as they were entwined together in a tight embrace.

Elizabeth smiled, "That was delightful." She kissed him lightly, "I love the way you think."

He nuzzled against her neck, "I love you, Elizabeth and I would do anything to make you happy."

She snuggled closer, "I love you too."

"I don't know what I would do without you." He sighed.

"Well you don't have to find out." Her voice was soft as she smiled gently.

The two lovers were finally drawn out of their bedroom by hunger as they made their way to the kitchen for something to eat.

The next day after school, Will was waiting impatiently for Elizabeth and Georgie to get home.

"How was your day, Munchkin?" Will asked his sister.

"It was good." Georgie said with a smile as she saw the intense look pass between Will and Elizabeth, "I'll be upstairs with the music on loud if anybody wants me."

As soon as Georgie was gone, Will picked up Elizabeth and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He kissed her with a passion that overpowered him.

"I missed you so much during the day." He said as laid her gently on the couch and pulled her shirt over her head and removed his. His kissed the sensitive hollow of her neck as she arched her back to meet him.

She unbuttoned and unzipped his pants and he moved his hand under her skirt. He removed her panties and had them in his hand as he heard a sound behind them.

Georgie looked embarrassed as she said, "I guess you didn't hear the doorbell."

Mr. Bennet stepped out from behind her and he had a scowl on his face as he growled, "Get your hands off my daughter."

"She's my wife." Will said as he shook his fist at him, "I would appreciate it if you would leave my house now."

Elizabeth was beet red as she fumbled to find her shirt, pulled it over her head and she grabbed her panties from her husband; "Will please." She pleaded as she glanced from his bare chest to his unzipped pants.

She ran out of the room to get redressed as she pulled Georgie from the room. She left Will and her father glaring at one another.

Mr. Bennet was obviously angry and lashed out at Darcy, "She might be your wife but she'll always be my little girl and I don't appreciate the state I just found you both in."

"Mr. Bennet," Will's voice was harsh, "I'm in my house with my wife and you think you have the right to dictate our actions." His anger rose, "I didn't invite you into my home and you certainly don't have the right to tell me how I can act with my wife."

Elizabeth came back into the room and stepped between Will and her father. "I'm sure Daddy was just startled to see us like that."

Mr. Bennet was past reason and he shouted, "You may have bought the right to marry my daughter but it doesn't give you the right to turn her into a whore."

"Daddy," Elizabeth was shocked by her father's words, "You have no right to talk about me in that way."

"Lizzie," Mr. Bennet seemed to regain some sense, "I raised you to be a bright independent woman who would be able to go to college and make a life for herself." He shook his head in dismay, "Now you're married to him and he'll keep you barefoot and pregnant until you're too old to fulfill your potential."

"What are you talking about?" Elizabeth asked, "Will's very supportive of my desire to go to college."

"Are you going to deny that you're pregnant too?" Mr. Bennet spat out with disgust.

"I'm not pregnant, Daddy." Elizabeth sighed_, I hope._

"What about your dream to go to Harvard or Yale." He glared at Darcy, "I'm sure he wouldn't allow you to go to college there."

"Daddy, it's never been my dream to go to Harvard or Yale." Elizabeth was firm, "That was your dream for me and the only reason I'm applying there is to make you happy." She looked at Will, "As to your other point, Will's my husband and not my jailer." She smiled, "We want to be together and we will work out the college issue as a couple and with no thought as to anyone else's happiness besides our own and Georgie's."

Her cool logical argument seemed to infuriate her father, "Did you know that your _husband_ stalked you when you were 16."

Elizabeth raised her eyes in question to her husband.

"No I guess he never told you that little fact." Mr. Bennet's anger got the better of him as he yelled at Will, "Did you really think that I wouldn't notice my bosses car driving by my house a few times a night or that I couldn't figure out that it was you making those calls to my house." He turned to his daughter, "He's been obsessed with you for years and he manipulated me so that I would have no choice but allow him to marry you."

"Daddy," Elizabeth said quietly, "Are you trying to tell me that you embezzled money from Pemberly because of Will?"

"Well, no but he made sure that he took advantage of the fact." Mr. Bennet sputtered

"I know and we have worked through that issue." Elizabeth said with a smile at her husband who gazed with love into her face, "Daddy, I think that it is time for you to leave."

"Lizzie, don't cut me out of your life." Mr. Bennet cried, "I love you and I need you to not hate me."

"I don't hate you, Daddy." Elizabeth's eyes softened, "Why don't I call Mama and arrange for the two of you to come to dinner with Will and I." She squeezed Will's hand and he put an arm around her waist, "Because whether you like it or not, Will and I are married and we are going to spend the rest of our lives together."

Will's heart soared with love as he heard those worlds tumble off his lovely wife's lips. She looked at him and took his hand as they walked her father to the door.

"I love you, Daddy." She said as she kissed his cheek, "I love you as you are and don't expect you to be perfect anymore." He caught her eyes, "Do you understand?"

"Yes, Lizzie and I love you too." He kissed her on the cheek and looked at Will, "I'm more than willing to suffer the consequences of my actions if you are of a mind to fire me."

Will shook his head as he looked at his father in law, "I wouldn't do that because it would make Elizabeth unhappy." He took a deep breath, "Let's just forget this ever happened, okay."

Mr. Bennet was shocked as his son in law shook his hand. He walked back to his car and drove home in a daze.

"Will," Elizabeth said as they walked upstairs to their bedroom, "What my father said was that true?"

Will sighed, "Once I had met you, I couldn't get you out of my head or my heart." He closed his eyes with embarrassment, "I was obsessed with you and I just wanted to see you and hear your voice. I know what I did was wrong and I'm sorry."

To his surprise Elizabeth smiled, "I wouldn't have thought that the confident man that I had met would have been capable of a teenage crush."

"I couldn't think of anything but you." Will admitted.

"There's something that I need to tell you." Elizabeth's eyes found his, "I used to drive by your house and the winery." Will gasped with disbelief, "I also would call your house and office. I would always hang up as soon as you answered."

"We have been such idiots." Will said as he picked her up and threw her onto their bed, "I used the blonde bimbo's to get over you and you used…"

"My anger to get over you," His wife smiled one of the sexy smiles that he loved and he pulled her close and kissed her with a passion that neither of them would ever forget.


	20. Chapter 20

Elizabeth made arrangements for her mother and father to come to dinner on Saturday night. As a precautionary measure she also invited Jane and Bingley as well as her sisters.

Elizabeth was cooking for her family so Will and Georgie had offered to help her. She decided to make lasagna as she would be able to prepare everything ahead of time.

When Elizabeth and Georgie got home from school on Wednesday, Will was waiting for them and he greeted Georgie in his normal manner. "How was your day, Munchkin?"

"Great, I got an A on my English test." Her pride was evident in Georgie's voice, "Elizabeth helped me study for the test."

"That's wonderful." Will gave his sister a hug before he smiled down at Elizabeth and leaned down to kiss her, "So how was your day?"

"It was fine, just another day in paradise." Elizabeth arched her eyebrows at Will before she caught Georgie's eye, "I just want to let you know that we're going to be late after school tomorrow afternoon."

"Why?" Will's eyes narrowed as he looked form Elizabeth to his sister, "Do you guys have detention or something."

Both Georgie and Elizabeth laughed at his conclusion, "No, we don't have detention," Elizabeth assured him, "I've signed us up for a self-defense class and it starts tomorrow afternoon."

Will looked at her thoughtfully, "I suppose that this is in response to the situation with Wickham?"

It was Georgie who answered, "Yeah, we talked about that and decided that we wanted to be able to defend ourselves if Wickham dares show his face around here again."

"That's a good idea." Will said as he reached out and ruffled his sister's hair.

"Will, can I speak to you privately for a moment?" Georgie asked her brother.

"Sure," He said distractedly as he leaned in to kiss his wife before he stepped away from her, "Come to my study."

"I'm going to get started on my homework." Elizabeth said as she made her way upstairs.

When Georgie had taken a seat next to Will's desk in the study, she began nervously, "There is a dance at school on Friday and Neal has asked me to go with him."

Will sighed, "You know our rules and I will not let you go on a date with Neal by yourself."

"I know that." Georgie conceded before her eyes sparkled with mischief, "But I was thinking that if we could double date with you and Lizzie it might fulfill that requirement."

"You want Elizabeth and I to go on a double date with you to a school dance." Will chuckled at the visual of the two of them together at a school function.

"That's the general idea." Georgie pressed her point, "I think that Elizabeth would like to go to the dance with you."

"If she wants to go then why hasn't she asked me?"

"It's a school event," Georgie knew that she had peaked his interest, "She probably doesn't think that you would want to go and hang out with a bunch of teenagers all night." She pushed her advantage, "You've never gone to a school function with her."

"That's true." Will contemplated the idea, "So you really think that Elizabeth wants to go to this dance?"

"I'm absolutely sure, just ask her." Georgie knew that she was going to be victorious so she gave her brother a hug and said, "I can't wait."

Georgie ran from the room with barely restrained excitement and Will watched her go as he was caught up in his own thoughts. A few minutes later, Will made his way upstairs to find his wife. She was in the middle of her homework and he didn't want to bother her so he decided that he would get in a workout while she was busy.

An hour later, Will made his way up to their bedroom and found his wife in their bed curled up reading a book. Elizabeth glanced up as her husband padded into the room and she had a bright smile gracing her face.

"Did you have a good workout?" She asked with desire darkening her eyes and a husky note in her voice as her husband changed out of his sweaty clothes.

Will caught the tone of her voice and sat on the edge of bed, his chest bare and glistening with sweat, "I would have rather been working out with you." His eyes roamed over her body as her picked her up and sat her on his lap.

"I'm more than willing to participate," Elizabeth ran her hands along his muscled chest, "Unless you're too tired."

He growled deep in his throat and bent to capture her lips with his. His tongue penetrated her mouth and she responded to his kiss with her own desire. Will pulled back and saw the desire in her eyes and her lips were parted in anticipation. "I'm never too tired for you, my lovely wife."

"I'm glad to hear that because I can't get enough of you." Elizabeth's hands roamed over his chest and back before she lowered them to his rear.

A groan escaped as Will kissed her passionately until their breathing was labored. He picked her up and laid her on the bed as he moved between her thighs. His hands found her breasts and he heard her moan of pleasure as he ran his finger across her hard nipple. He lowered his head to take her into his mouth as her breathing became erratic.

Elizabeth found the waistband of his shorts and tugged them down his hips. She ran her hand along the hard muscles of his rear and pulled him to her.

Their desire hit a fever pitch as they made love to each other until the pleasure exploded through their bodies leaving them entangled in each other's arms and sated.

When they were dressing to go down and get dinner, Will asked Elizabeth, "Why haven't you asked me to go with you to the school dance on Friday?"

Elizabeth just looked at him confused before she realized how he had obtained his information, "Georgie told you about the dance."

Will studied her carefully, "Yes, something about a double date with her and Neal. She told me that you wanted to go but that you didn't think I would want to go to a school function."

She held his eyes for a moment before she asked, "Will, would you like to go to the school dance with me?"

"I would love to, my darling." He kissed her, "Any excuse to hold you in my arms is good in my books."

On Friday night, Will kept looking at his watch as he waiting impatiently for his wife to come down the stairs. Will was wearing a blue silk shirt and black slacks that Georgie had picked out for him because she didn't want him to embarrass her. The shirt was opened down to the third button because Georgie insisted it was sexier and that Elizabeth would like it.

Will's eyes grew wide as he saw his wife at the head of the stairs. She looked so incredibly sexy that he wanted to run up the stairs and drag her back to their bedroom. She had on a royal blue dress that was simply cut but that clung to her curves. It had a plunging neckline that gave him a view of her ample breasts. His eyes drifted lower until he saw the dress stop halfway down her thighs. He grew excited when he saw her and felt the fire run through his veins.

As she reached the bottom of the stairs, he took her hand and pulled her tight to him. "You look so sexy that I'm not going to be able to keep my hands off you." His voice was husky against her ear.

"Georgie picked it out." Elizabeth laughed, "Something about her not wanting us to embarrass her."

"I heard the same story." Will chuckled.

Elizabeth's gaze wandered over her husband and said, "You look pretty tasty yourself, my love."

The doorbell rang and Will stopped Georgie as she ran to answer it, "I'll get it."

Neal was standing at the door looking very nervous but Elizabeth tried to ease his fears, "How about a picture of you two." She said to Neal and Georgie as she got the camera and posed them for a few pictures.

Georgie grabbed the camera from Elizabeth and insisted on getting a few pictures of her and Will. After five minutes of posing, Will finally had enough and put Elizabeth's wrap over her shoulders before helping Georgie on with hers.

The drive to the school was filled with easy conversation. Will parked the car and helped Elizabeth out while he saw Neal take Georgie's hand.

As they entered the gym where the dance was being held, almost every eye in the room turned to watch the Darcy's enter.

Will was furious when he saw the attention that Elizabeth was getting and wished that Elizabeth had worn something a little less sexy.

He put his arm possessively around her waist and as she felt his anger grow, Elizabeth stopped and turned in his arms to kiss him, "I love you." She whispered in his ear as she ran her hand down his back.

Will visibly relaxed and smiled down into his wife's face. They found a quiet corner and Elizabeth went to get some punch. Will looked around to find Elizabeth and when he couldn't see her, he walked farther into the room. He was stopped by an older couple that looked vaguely familiar to him.

"Will Darcy." The woman crowed, "What a surprise to see you here, I didn't know you were chaperoning this dance with us."

"I'm not chaperoning," Will said politely, "My wife is a student and I've come with her."

"Oh." She said, "We hadn't heard that you were married. Who's your wife?"

"I'm married to Elizabeth." He felt relieved when he saw her coming toward him and pointed her out, "Bennet was her maiden name."

"You're married to her." The woman's voice was filled with disgust, "Our son had some trouble with her a few years back and she is a trashy little thing."

Suddenly Will knew who this was and he felt his fury mounting, "Mrs. Saunders, I would appreciate it if you would not speak about my wife in that way." His tone was cold as he finished, "Your son had an unhealthy infatuation with Elizabeth and she was in no way to blame for what happened."

Mr. Saunders' face flushed red with anger, "You don't know what you are talking about and our son was a perfect gentleman to that girl."

"Elizabeth has proof to the contrary and so we'll have to agree to disagree on this point." Will said with loathing, "Please excuse me, my wife is waiting for me."

He walked straight to Elizabeth, pulled her to him and kissed her.

"I see that you had a moment with the Saunders." Elizabeth stroked his face with her fingers trying to calm him, "Don't let them bother you." A wicked smile crossed her face, "We did get the last laugh after all."

Will picked her up and twirled her around, "You're right as usual and I love you."

"I love you too." Elizabeth responded as he put her down, "Do you want to dance."

"Yes, I'll dance with you." He walked her to the dance floor where they danced to the energetic music.

When they left the dance floor and found a small table to themselves, Will had got them each a glass of punch.

Elizabeth drank hers quickly to quench her thirst but as Will tasted it he made a face and refused to drink the rest of it. He went to get a drink of water and he when he got back he found that Elizabeth had drank his too and had made her way to the dance floor by herself.

He went to join her and she threw herself into his arms. "This is my favorite song." She clung to him as they danced.

After the song ended, Will escorted her to a quiet corner and she leaned in to kiss him, "You feel so good." She said with a slightly slurred voice.

"Elizabeth are you alright?" Will asked.

"I feel great." Elizabeth crooned as she moved her body against his, "You feel great too."

Will gave into the feelings that she was arousing in him and kissed her back passionately.

The couple didn't notice all of the students who were watching them as they made out in the corner of the dance.

Will finally broke off the kiss as he felt his need for her rise and he walked her to the table where she sat on his lap as he groaned.

"I want you." Elizabeth whispered in his ear, "Let's go outside."

Will was tempted but he had a feeling that there was something was different about Elizabeth since she had gotten to the dance and he asked, "Elizabeth have you been drinking tonight."

"Just a little punch." She said as she ran her lips across his jaw.

_One of these little punks had spiked the punch. _Will groaned as he pulled Elizabeth off his lap, "I've got to take care of something, stay here for a minute."

He went and found one of the teachers and told him about the spiked punch. The teacher assured Will that he would take care of it.

When Will returned, he found Elizabeth back on the dance floor. "Come on love, it's time to go home."

On the way out, Will found Georgie and Neal and told them that they needed to leave. Will helped Elizabeth into the car, she leaned over when he got into the driver's seat and ran her hands along his chest. "I can't wait to get home."

Georgie and Neal were amused as they watched the couple from the backseat.

"Is Elizabeth drunk?" Georgie whispered into her brother's ear and when he nodded she said, "But she doesn't drink."

"The punch was spiked and I'm not sure how much she had to drink." Will admitted.

When they got home, Georgie said goodbye to Neal quickly while Will carried Elizabeth upstairs.

As he laid her on the bed, Georgie knocked on the door and said, "Is she going to be okay."

"She'll be fine but she might have a little hangover."

"Goodnight." Georgie said as she left the room giggling.

Will helped Elizabeth get ready for bed before he got undressed and as he got into bed he saw her looking at him with the desire evident in her eyes.

He kissed her gently but she deepened the kiss and moved against him until he was crazy with need. They made love before falling asleep in each other's arms.


	21. Chapter 21

Elizabeth was feeling horrible when she woke the next day, her mouth felt like she had swallowed sawdust and she remembered getting sick in the middle of the night and Will taking care of her.

She was in no mood to face her parents but resigned herself to the plans she had made. Elizabeth hated the horrible taste in her mouth and went to brush her teeth before she ran a hot bath. She smiled when she saw the glass of water and aspirin that Will had left for her. She took the pills, drank the water and gratefully sank into the hot bath water with a sigh.

After the bath, Elizabeth got dressed quickly and went down to find Will. She found him in his workout room running on the treadmill, he smiled when she entered.

"How do you feel this morning?" He asked with a shrug.

"I feel like I got run over by a semi-truck and left for dead on the side of the road." Elizabeth said with a groan, "When I get a hold of whoever spiked the punch, I will kill them."

"Whoever it is should be very afraid." Will grinned at her, "You could join me and that might make you feel better." He indicated the treadmill next to him.

"I was thinking that I would take a walk and get some fresh air to clear my head." Elizabeth responded.

"I would like to join you if you don't mind some company." Will turned off his treadmill and grabbed a towel.

"I would like you to join me as long as you don't expect me to be a witty conversationalist." Elizabeth laughed feebly at her attempt at a joke.

"I gave up on that a long time ago." Will's face broke into a grin as Elizabeth glared at him with deadly intensity.

"So you pick a time when I am sick and am vulnerable to get a sense of humor." Elizabeth eyed him resentfully.

"It's the only time that I have felt that my life would not be in jeopardy for doing so." Will joked as he leaned over to kiss his wife, "Just give me a few minutes to take a shower and we can go for that walk."

While Will was in the shower, Elizabeth took the opportunity to go to the kitchen to get some orange juice.

Georgie was already there having breakfast and she asked, "How are you feeling this morning?"

"Like the alien is going to explode out of my forehead at any moment."

"That's bad." Georgie sighed, "I wanted to ask you a question but maybe now isn't such a good time."

"Don't worry about it." Elizabeth grumbled as she drank her orange juice.

"I was hoping that I could invite Neal to your dinner tonight." Georgie asked quickly.

"I'm okay with that but clear it with Will first." Elizabeth said.

"Clear what with me?" Will asked as he walked into the room looking fresh and clean after his shower.

"I was just asking if I could invite Neal to join us for dinner tonight." Georgie told him quickly, "The dinner fits your criteria because it will be a group."

Will thought for a moment and smiled, "I agree but are you sure that you want to subject Neal to all of Elizabeth's family." He glanced at Elizabeth who was looking at him through narrowed eyes.

"You are very witty this morning." Elizabeth growled, "But don't expect me to let you get away with this without retribution."

"I'll be looking forward to that." Will pulled Elizabeth to her feet and into his arms as he whispered in her ear, "I expect you will thoroughly punish me for my actions."

Georgie finished her breakfast and excused herself, "I'm going to call Neal and invite him over for dinner."

Will walked Elizabeth toward the garage, "I thought we would take a walk in the park." Will said as he saw her confusion, "It will be beautiful this time of year."

The drive to the park didn't take long and Will helped Elizabeth out of the car and put her arm around her waist as they strolled along the path, "This reminds me of our first date."

Elizabeth smiled, "You had the fairy lights hung in the trees." She looked up at him through her lashes, "You went to a lot of trouble that night."

Will stopped, "This is where we kissed for the first time." He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers briefly, "I was so nervous that night."

"You were nervous? But you seemed so confident." Elizabeth tilted her head and tried to gauge his expression, "What did you have to be nervous of that night; I would never have guessed that you were."

"I've had years of practice of hiding my emotions." Will admitted, "I was nervous because you were so young and inexperienced. I had loved you for so long and I was afraid of scaring you that night with the passion I had bottled up for so many years."

"I was scared that night." Elizabeth admitted, "But it was because of the feelings you aroused in me when you kissed me." She reached up and touched his face with her fingers, "I had spent so much time being angry at you that my reaction to your kisses surprised me." She closed her eyes, "I couldn't figure out how could I enjoy your touch when I thought I hated you. It didn't make sense to me."

"Your body knew what your heart refused to admit." Will smiled indulgently down at her, "Even the night of my disastrous proposal, you were so angry but when I tried to make love to you…" His voice trailed off with emotion.

"My body betrayed me." Elizabeth sighed as she looked at the feelings on her husband's face, "I love you, Will Darcy."

"I've always loved you, Elizabeth Darcy." Will crushed her body to him and kissed with a passionate fervor that he couldn't control. Elizabeth responded to him with an ardor equal to his own.

"Young people in love." The elderly man said to his wife as they passed the couple, "Can never keep their hands off each other."

"You're one to talk." His wife said playfully, "After 40 years of marriage, 4 children and 9 grandchildren, you are still as amorous as the day we met."

"What man could help himself with a wife as beautiful as you?" The elderly man took his wife's hand and kissed her palm, "Do you want to go home for a romp in the hay?"

"I think we have some time before the kids arrive." His wife answered as they disappeared from view.

"That will be us in 40 years." Elizabeth grinned as she looked up into the face of her husband.

"That could be us in 10 minutes." Will said with a smile, "I wouldn't mind a romp in the hay with you this morning."

"Let's finish our walk and then you can take me home to play." Elizabeth said to the man who loved her as they continued their walk, "We have plenty of time."

A few hours later, Will and Elizabeth came out of their bedroom looking wet and relaxed. Will teased his wife, "I told you that taking a shower together would be fun and practical."

"Yes," Elizabeth agreed, "Good for us and good for the environment, we are saving water one shower at a time."

Georgie joined them in the kitchen a few minutes later and Elizabeth set to work making the sauce while she tasked Will and Georgie with chopping ingredients, slicing cheese, making the ricotta mixture, boiling the noodles and preparing the garlic bread.

As Elizabeth was stirring the sauce, Will came up behind her and caught her around the waist, "By the way, I invited Richard to join us."

"That's great." Elizabeth smiled back at him, "The more the merrier."

Will nibbled on her neck while she stirred, "Have you finished your tasks?"

"Not yet," Will admitted, "But you looked so tasty standing here that I couldn't help myself."

Elizabeth tried to look stern, "You get back to work or I'll have to use the whip."

"Yes Mistress." He said with a wicked smile and a wink while he said softly, "The whip might be kind of kinky but for you I'd give it a try."

Elizabeth blushed, "Will be serious and get back to work."

"I'll get back to work." Will said as he kissed her neck again, "But I was being serious."

As Elizabeth assembled the lasagna, Will and Georgie teased and played. It wasn't an efficient kitchen and dinner preparations took a lot longer than expected but the laughter was never far away.

When she finally got the lasagna in the oven, she heard the doorbell ring.

Georgie offered to get the door and Will took the opportunity to pull Elizabeth into his arms. He kissed her and Elizabeth's response was passionate.

Georgie rolled her eyes as she walked back into the room with Jane and Charlie right behind her. "Jeez guys, I was only gone for two minutes."

"I thought I would come by early and see if you needed any help." Jane said as she eyed the kitchen in amusement, "It's a good thing I did too or we not eat dinner tonight."

Elizabeth laughed, "It's not as bad as it seems; everything is almost done. I just have the lemon meringue pie left to make for desert and clean up."

"You can start the pie and I'll work on cleaning up this disaster area."

"Can I help?" Will said to his wife, "Lemon meringue pie is my favorite dessert."

"Yes, I know." Elizabeth smiled back at him, "You get the mix and start making the lemon while I work on the crust."

Charlie and Georgie helped Jane clean the kitchen and were done quickly while Elizabeth and Will finished the pie.

The doorbell rang again just as Elizabeth was taking the lasagna out of the oven to cool. Will went to get the door and Elizabeth took off her apron and joined him to greet her parents.

"Dinner is almost ready." Elizabeth said as she hugged her dad and mom.

Richard Fitzwilliam and Neal had both arrived in the next few minutes and so everyone was there.

"Lizzie, it smells great," Lydia sniffed the air appreciatively, "When are we eating?"

"We can go in now." Elizabeth smiled, "The garlic bread will just be a few more minutes and then we will be ready to eat."

She ushered everyone into the dining room which looked lovely with candles and flowers.

"My dear, Lizzie." Her mother cried, "Everything looks wonderful and you have such a beautiful home. "I've only seen it at parties and I would love to see the rest of the house."

"I will take you on a tour after we have eaten." Will offered as he looked at Elizabeth. He knew she was going to need some to have a talk with her father.

"What a dear sweet man," Mrs. Bennet cooed at Will, "Such a fine husband for our Elizabeth and rich too."

"I'm glad you approve." Will said with a smile.

Dinner was a noisy raucous affair and everyone enjoyed the meal. Afterwards Georgie offered to clear up as Mary, Kitty and Lydia got up to help.

"Leave those for the maid." Mrs. Bennet said imperiously, "There is no need to do the help's work."

"Mother," Elizabeth tried to sound calm, "Will and I don't have a maid. There is a woman who comes and cleans once a week." Elizabeth face was red with anger and Will put a hand on her arm to calm her, "We like to do things for ourselves and we like our privacy." She turned to her sisters, "I'm sure that Georgie will appreciate your help."

Mrs. Bennet was looking at Elizabeth with surprise, "But when I come for parties there are always servers and help."

"That is just when we have a large party." Will explained, "Why don't I give you that tour of the house now." He waved toward the stairs and she proceeded before him.

Elizabeth looked at her father, "Daddy, can I talk to you privately for a few minutes?"

"Of course, my dear." Mr. Bennet agreed.

"Will has offered his study so that we can have some privacy." Elizabeth said as she waved her hand toward the room.

As Elizabeth shut the door, Mr. Bennet said, "I'm so sorry for the other day, Lizzie, I didn't mean what I said."

"I know and that's not what I want to talk to you about." Elizabeth said as she looked into her father's eyes, "I want to know why you took the money from Pemberly?"

Mr. Bennet sighed, "I should have known that you would ask me that." He closed his eyes and ran his fingers through his hair, "You know your mother and I'm sure you know that she had no real concept of how much money it takes to run a household." He grimaced, "It wasn't much at first, just a few luxuries that we couldn't afford. The first time, she had written a check that we didn't have enough money in the bank to cover. I borrowed the money from the company but I intended to pay it back." Elizabeth could see the pain in his eyes, "Believe me, I never meant to steal the money."

"I believe you, Daddy, so what happened next?"

I always thought that I would be able to pay the money back." Tom Bennet sat down on the sofa, "But every week we got farther and farther behind. "At first it was just little amounts but as you girls got older more money seemed to be needed and my salary couldn't cover everything." He tightened his lips, "I tried to talk to your mother but she would insist that Mary needed a new book and that Kitty and Lydia needed the latest style of cloths and the latest cell phone, computer or ipod."

"I always wondered…" Elizabeth said but trailed off as her father continued.

"I know neither Jane nor you ever asked for much but your mother still would spend money on more and more things for the other girls and herself." He balled his hands into fists, "I had always intended to pay back the money but after 20 years the sum was astronomical and I couldn't even begin to repay that much money."

"Is that why you said that I had to go out with Will?" Elizabeth saw the pain in her father's face, "I always knew why mother wanted me to go. She wanted me to land a rich husband and Will Darcy was definitely the richest." Tears sparkled in the corners of Elizabeth's eyes, "I love mother and I understand her but sometimes I had that feeling the she would auction us off to the highest bidder without a second thought." The tears ran down her face, "I understood her forcing me to go out with Will but I didn't understand why you would."

Mr. Bennet stood and held his daughter in his arms to comfort her. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to hurt you." His voice cracked with the pain, "I just thought that you would distract Darcy from the truth. You see I knew that Charles Bingley was getting too close and that he would have told Darcy." His sigh was deep, "I had known the truth for years about how obsessed Darcy was with you." He released Elizabeth and stared her in the eyes, "But the horrible thing was that I knew how much you hated him and that didn't stop me from wanting you to save me."

Elizabeth said quietly, "I never really hated him, I was just angry about something he had said."

Her father's eyes lifted for a second before they fell back to his feet, "That doesn't even matter because when he came to me after he found out about the money and asked to marry you, I was stupid and weak. I pimped you out to a man you hated because he could save me from jail."

"Daddy, you didn't force me to do anything." Elizabeth looked him in the eyes to show him the truth, "I had a choice and I agreed to marry him."

"But Lizzie, you don't understand; he knew you would agree to marry him in order to save me."

"He has always known me better than I have known myself." Elizabeth admitted.

"Why don't hate me for making you marry a man you don't love."

"But I do love him, Daddy." Elizabeth said with a tenderness that practically broke her father's heart, "I admit that I didn't always love him as much as I do now." Her voice was full of feeling, "He is the best man I know and I love him so very much."

Mr. Bennet looked grateful for a moment before he said quietly not really wanting to talk about this, "But the physical side of your relationship, I'm sure that…" His voice trailed off as Elizabeth started to laugh.

Elizabeth tried to explain, "You have to understand that Will never forced me into anything." She colored slightly, "Yes he pushed the boundaries but he always stopped when I asked him to." She chuckled, "I was reminded just a short time ago of that when I talked to Georgie about this subject. I told her that anyone worthy of her would understand and accept when she told them no."

"But after you were married…"

"Daddy, I really don't want to talk to you about this but I must make you understand." She sighed, "Will never insisted on consummating our marriage. He wanted to be sure that I was ready when our relationship became physical. In fact we played poker on our wedding night." She laughed at the thought, "It wasn't until weeks after we were married and on our honeymoon that I seduced him, not the other way around."

"So who won?" Mr. Bennet asked looking slightly embarrassed.

"What?" Elizabeth stammered.

"Who won at poker on your wedding night?"

"I did, of course." She giggled, "You taught me well."

"That's my little girl." He gave her a quick hug, "I love you and I'm sorry for all of the pain I've caused you."

"I love you too; Daddy and you don't have to be sorry anymore because no matter how our relationship started, Will and I love each other with all of our hearts."

"We'd better make ourselves presentable and get back to the party." Mr. Bennet said as he wiped tears off his face.

Will was glad to see Elizabeth and Mr. Bennet come back from study and they were both smiling. He took a deep breath and said, "How about some music." He remembered that Elizabeth's parents liked fifties rock and put on a compilation album that started with "Rock around the clock".

He was surprised when Elizabeth took her father's hand and said, "Daddy would you dance with me?" Elizabeth glanced over at Will and he smiled, "I've been trying to teach Will how to do the fifties swing but he has not gotten the hang of it. Maybe if we show him how then it will become clear."

Elizabeth winked at her husband as she walked into the living room and proceeded to dance with her father and Will had to admit they were good and the dancing looked like fun.

Will smiled as the other's joined them to try also, Charlie walked Jane into the living room and danced with her as Georgie pulled Neal out there and Lydia cornered Richard and dragged him onto the floor.

Mrs. Bennet approached Will and asked, "Would you like to dance with me?"

Will shrugged his shoulders and agreed, "Sure, let's cut a rug."

"Wrong generation." Mrs. Bennet corrected him.

Will could see that Mrs. Bennet was just as good as her husband in this style of dance and he learned a lot from her but when the next song came on he insisted on switching partners with Mr. Bennet.

Elizabeth smiled at she looked up at him, "Does everything make sense in the universe again."

"Yes, my darling." He showed his wife how much he had learned by twirling her, moving with her and dipping her.

Will was happy that the next song was slow and pulled his wife into his arms as he swayed with her in time to the music. Will was just happy to have her in his arms again.

When Elizabeth looked around she saw that Kitty had caught Richard for this dance and laughed when she pointed it out to Will. She also saw at the end of the dance that Georgie whispered to Neal and the next minute he was leading Mary in the next dance.

By the time the music ended the group was exhausted and slumped onto the sofas and chairs. The merriment continued as stories were told and the conversation went on far into the night.

Jane was the first to rise and pulled Charlie to his feet. "It's been a long night and we should be going." Jane hugged Elizabeth and Will and said, "I'll see you on Monday, Will."

"See you Monday."

One by one everyone said their good-byes and told the couple how much they had enjoyed the evening. When the Bennets stood to leave Mr. Bennet whispered to Elizabeth, "I guess your husband deserves you, I wouldn't have wanted to part with you for anything less."

After their guests had gone, they made their way upstairs and Georgie said, "Thanks for letting Neal come tonight, it was so much fun, especially the dancing." She looked at Elizabeth and Will, "Can we do this again?"

"I'm sure we will." Will said with a yawn, "But we should all be in bed."

Georgie just rolled her eyes with a giggle and went into her room and shut the door.

When they got to their room and shut the door Will asked, "How did your talk with your father go?"

"It was difficult but I think we both said what we needed to." Elizabeth got changed, brushed her teeth and slipped into bed, "To get everything out in the open, I had to talk to him about things that I never wanted to talk to anybody about least of all my father."

"What did you talk about?" Will asked.

"I'll tell you in the morning." Elizabeth arched her eyebrows at him, "There is something else that I would like to do right now."

"What could that be?" Will asked in a low voice as he kissed her neck.

"I want to play poker with you again." Elizabeth giggled, "My father was very happy to find that I had beat you on our wedding night."

"You are a cruel woman." Will complained as he took her in his arms, "But there was something much different that I had in mind." He moved his hand to caress her breast, "Something we never got around to on our wedding night."

"Now whatever could you mean sir." Elizabeth giggled as she leaned over to take his lips with hers.

Will showed her exactly what he meant as they spent the next few hours proving their love to one another.


	22. Chapter 22

Will woke up just after midnight on Sunday morning to the sound of Elizabeth softly crying in the bathroom. Fear clutched at his heart as he got out of bed and made his way to the bathroom. He found Elizabeth sitting on the edge of the bathtub with her head in her hands and Will saw her shoulders shaking slightly with her sobs.

He sat next to her and pulled her onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her, "Elizabeth," His voice was soft and comforting, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," She said into his shoulder as she gulped back tears, "I'm just being silly."

"Elizabeth, this isn't like you." Will said as he pulled her tightly against her chest, "You don't cry without a reason."

He stroked her hair and saw the box of tampons in her hand. The color drained from his face as he realized what this meant and he took a sharp breath with strangled sob.

"I don't know why I'm so emotional." Elizabeth sniffled with a gulp, "I know that we shouldn't have a child right now and I never expected the feelings to hit me this hard."

"It's okay," Will crooned softly, "We'll have a child when you're ready." He picked her up and walked her back to bed. "I love you, my darling Elizabeth." He slid into bed beside her and cradled her into his arms until she fell asleep.

When Elizabeth woke up the sun was shining into the room and she was wrapped tightly in her husband's arms. She remembered her tears the night before when she had found out that she had started her period. She lifted her hand to stroke Will's face as she thought about the care he had shown her when he had found her crying.

She slipped out of bed trying not to disturb Will and padded into the bathroom. She ran a hot bath and was soaking in the tub when Will walked into the room.

"I missed you when I woke up." He said softly as he leaned over to kiss the top of her head. He headed over to the sink to brush his teeth and shave while Elizabeth got out of her bath and wrapped a fluffy towel around her body.

While he was standing admiring the beauty of his wife, Will leaned in and captured her lips beneath his with a sigh.

He released her with great reluctance and asked quietly, "Elizabeth, do you want to have a baby now?"

She shook her head vigorously, "No, I don't."

"But last night," Will reminded her, "you were in tears because you weren't pregnant."

She took his hand and led him into the bedroom where she sat down on the edge of the bed, "I don't know where that reaction came from," She told him honestly, "Maybe it was the hormones." Her eyes found his and sought the depths, "It's not the right time for us to have a baby. I know that but somewhere deep inside me I guess I want to have a child with you."

Will's eyes softened with the immense love of his burgeoning heart. He knelt in front of her and took her hands with his, "I'm so happy to hear you say that." His voice was husky with emotion, "You know that I want to have baby with you." He saw a look pass in front of her eyes, "When you're ready."

With a strangled sob, Elizabeth launched her body off the bed and into his arms. He gathered her against him as she said, "I love you, Will Darcy."

"You are my life, Elizabeth Darcy and I don't know how I ever lived before you came into my life." Elizabeth giggled and Will looked into her eyes that were full of amusement, "You find my heartfelt sentiment funny." His tone mocked her as he crushed her lips to his and kissed her with a passionate ardor.

When their lips parted, Will looked down at his wife and she said with a giggle, "I was just thinking about what you were doing before I came into your life." Lines appeared between his brows with puzzlement as his wife grinned mischievously up at him and she explained, "You were doing lots of blonde bimbos."

Will looked stunned as Elizabeth burst into laughter and suddenly he began to laugh with her. With a chuckle he said, "I guess I deserved that."

"Yes, you did."

There was a knock on the door and Elizabeth called, "Come in."

Georgie walked in and saw her brother kneeling on the floor with Elizabeth on his lap and she turned scarlet with embarrassment, "I just wondered what was so funny."

"My lovely wife is a comedian." Will said as he lifted Elizabeth into his arms and stood up, his eyes twinkled with humor, "I don't know why I put up with her."

"Because you love me," Elizabeth filled in for him as she pulled his head down and kissed his lips.

"I must be in love," Will agreed as he set Elizabeth down on her feet, "Otherwise I would never put up with such an impertinent woman."

Georgie excused herself, "I'll see you downstairs."

Will and Elizabeth emerged from their room an hour later looking refreshed and relaxed as they made their way toward the kitchen.

Elizabeth stopped Will before they started downstairs, "I've sent our acceptance to the Ladies League for their Charity Ball next Saturday night."

"Whatever you decided is fine with me." Will sighed, "I don't like to go to these things," He glanced down at Elizabeth and slid his arm around her, "But at least this time, I'll have you by my side."

"I included Georgie in our acceptance." Elizabeth looked down as she spoke not knowing how Will would react.

"Georgie's too young to go to these functions, especially a ball." Will said with a hard set to his mouth.

"I think that she would benefit from this." Elizabeth looked up into his eyes as she spoke, "The guest lecturer is doing a talk on empowering woman to rise above the bad things that have happened in their lives."

The crease formed between Will's eyes as Elizabeth rushed on with her explanation, "I've done research on the speaker and I believe that it will be beneficial for Georgie to understand that she is not alone and that other people have gone through situations similar to hers."

"She has you." Will said quietly as he looked down into his wife's eyes, "You've been so good for her that I don't even recognize her as my shy little sister anymore and that's all because of you."

"I know Will," Elizabeth's eye were shining, "You see, I didn't have anybody that I could open up to and I took a 'don't get mad, get even' approach to solving my problems." She sighed, "I did get suspended for what I did and I was just lucky that my psyche was able to recover from that major blow." She shook her head and closed her eyes, "If I had fallen prey to the fact that I was victimized, my life could have taken a completely different path." She shivered at the thought, "I was very lucky."

Will's heart felt the impact of her words and nodded, "If you feel that strongly then I agree to let Georgie accompany us to the ball."

"There's one more thing." Elizabeth said quickly, "I think that we should allow Georgie to invite Neal to accompany her to the ball."

"You drive a hard bargain." Will laughed, "It seems as though I never get my way anymore." He picked her up in his arms and twirled her around, "Now that you're my wife."

Elizabeth grinned, "You have always gotten you own way so don't think that you're fooling me."

"Not in everything, I don't." Will countered as he raised his eyebrows.

Will finally set Elizabeth down and they walked into the kitchen where Georgie was just finishing her breakfast. She looked at her brother and Elizabeth as she said, "Cousin Richard called and he will be here in about a half hour."

Elizabeth made them some scrambled eggs and they ate in companionable silence. They were just cleaning up the dishes when they heard the doorbell ring.

Will led Elizabeth out of the kitchen when Georgie walked toward them with Richard at her heels.

Will walked up to him and shook his hand, "Richard, great to see you again." He looked over at his wife, "Why don't we go to my study and talk."

"I would like to hear what Richard has to say about George Wickham." Elizabeth said to the astonishment of the men. Their reaction amused her as she said, "You really couldn't possibly think that I didn't know that you sent Richard out to gather information on Wickham." Her smile lit up her face, "Will Darcy, you should know me better than that."

Will didn't even try to contain the laugh that grew from her statement, "Yes, I should know you better."

"I think that Georgie and I deserve to hear what Richard has to say." Elizabeth insisted, "We are stronger than you give us credit for being."

"Elizabeth's right." Georgie said, "We need to know what is happening."

Richard caught Will's eye and he nodded, "I really don't have anything new about Wickham to report." Richard said to his chagrin, "I lost his trail after he left the school and his apartment. I've checked all of his known aliases but that turned up nothing." He sighed, "My guess is that he had already had a new identity before he went to work at the school." He looked toward Elizabeth, "I think the threat to Elizabeth and Georgie is a real one because I managed to find out what happened to Suzanne Carlson, the teacher that Wickham subbed for." There was something unreadable in Richard's eye as he spoke, "She had been dating a man that she wouldn't identify to any of her friends. The weekend before Wickham showed up as the substitute in Elizabeth's class, Suzanne Carlson had made an appointment to get married in a Reno wedding chapel. She left word for the school that she was quitting because she was getting married." Richard closed his eyes and breathed deeply before he finished, "She never showed up for her appointment and the Reno Police Department found her body the next day."

Elizabeth sobbed as her husband gathered her into his arms to comfort her. Richard hugged Georgie as she cried on his shoulder.

Elizabeth gathered all the strength she possessed and eased out her husband's arms, with a trembling lip she said in a shaky voice, "So you think that Wickham is still a threat to me and Georgie."

"Yes." Richard said softly, "He was all ready to disappear when he appeared in your classroom." He shivered slightly, "I don't know what would have happened if Will hadn't found you that afternoon."

"He probably didn't realize that I had driven you to school that day or that you would tell Georgie about your meeting in his classroom after school." Will told her in calm tones, "He probably doesn't understand what a strong woman you are."

"The three of you will need to have full time protection." Richard said, "Wickham was never able to get his revenge against Will and I don't think he's done with you yet. I will protect you and I'll arrange for a couple discrete friends of mine to join me, I'll work out the logistics and get back to you."

"Whatever you think is best." Will said as he closed his eyes briefly, "I just want to make sure that Elizabeth and Georgie are well protected while they are at school." He shuddered at a thought, "It would kill me if anything happened to either of you."

Richard made some phone calls and it seemed that the arrangements were made quickly leaving Elizabeth and Georgie dazed at the efficiency. It was decided that Richard would stay with the Darcy's to keep watch and that his two friends would join them in the morning.

When Elizabeth and Will were finally able to make their way upstairs and to their bedroom they were both emotionally drained and exhausted from the new specter on their horizon. They changed and dragged themselves to bed. Will said in a tired voice, "George Wickham has been a blight on my existence for too long now and I can't let any harm come to you or Georgie."

"Will," Elizabeth sighed, "I'm afraid for you too."

"George Wickham is trying to destroy everything that I care about and that is you and my sister." Will's laugh was harsh, "He wants me lose everything that I love and I can't let him do that."

"Will," Elizabeth's breath was frantic as she said, "Please, promise me that you won't take any risks."

Will looked into her beautiful eyes and his expression softened, "I promise, my darling, I never want us to part." He eyes took on a far away quality, "I want to have lots of children with you and have a long happy life together."

"Me too." Elizabeth sighed as she fell asleep to the beat of her husband's heart.


	23. Chapter 23

When the pair woke up Monday morning there seemed to be an ominous cloud hanging over the Darcy's.

When the couple came downstairs, they were introduced to the men that Richard had brought in for their protection, Daniel Carter and James Forster. It was decided that James Forster would be going with Will to Pemberly Wineries and Richard would watch over Elizabeth and Daniel Carter was going to keep an eye on Georgie. The three men had gone outside to secure the perimeter of the house.

Elizabeth checked her e-mail before leaving for school and told Will, "I've received an e-mail from Anne."

"What did she have to say?" Will asked as he came up behind Elizabeth and kissed her.

"She and her girlfriend Sandy are going to be attending the charity ball this Saturday and that we will see them there." Elizabeth smiled up at her husband, "She is looking forward to introducing her girlfriend to us."

"I think that she is looking forward to introducing her girlfriend to _you._" Will emphasized the word and let his lips trail down her neck to her throat, "Anne was quite taken with you. Until then I would have never believed that Anne and I could have anything in common."

Elizabeth laughed and shook her head but the humor couldn't keep the reality of their new situation from creeping back into her thoughts and she shivered with her distress, "Will, I'm scared."

"I know, baby, so am I." A shudder passed through him, "I don't know what I would do if anything happened to you or Georgie."

"What would I do if something were to happen to you?" Elizabeth tried to gain control of her emotions, "Who would I argue with and tease." She fought to smile at her husband.

"Elizabeth, nothing is going to happen to me." Will insisted as he hugged her tight, "I'm not in any danger, it's you and Georgie are the ones who are in danger from Wickham." When he finally released her Will said, "We have to go because I have to apprise Principal Annesley of the situation."

Will drove Elizabeth and Georgie to school while Richard, Forster and Carter followed them in the car behind. At the school he took the three bodyguards to meet with the Principal and got her approval for them to be in school.

Before Elizabeth left for class she slid into Will's arms and he held her tightly not wanting to let her go. With a sigh, he kissed her and let her go reluctantly. "Richard will take care of you."

Will watched as Elizabeth turned and walked down the hall. When she disappeared from his sight, he finally turned to see Forster and sighed, "I guess it's time to go to work."

When Richard walked into class with Elizabeth and spoke to the teacher briefly every student in the room turned to look at Elizabeth. Red color flooded her cheeks as she lowered her eyes to escape the scrutiny and that was when the whispering started.

The teacher called the class to order and Elizabeth took her seat with Richard beside her and she whispered to him, "Don't take offense but I hate this."

He leaned over to her, "I wish it didn't have to be this way but I have to keep you safe because without you Will would die too."

Elizabeth felt her heart clench and under her breath said, "Me too."

The morning went by slowly and when the morning classes were over, Elizabeth met Georgie for lunch. "How are you doing?" Elizabeth asked her sister.

"Lizzie, I'm scared." Georgie admitted as she colored slightly.

Elizabeth saw Neal coming and Georgie looked up as she smiled at him. Georgie threw herself into his arms and cried. Elizabeth listened while she explained the situation to him.

Her cell phone rang and she picked it up quickly knowing that it would be Will. "How are you, my love?" She asked softly, "How's work going today."

"It's been a long day, I can't concentrate and Bingley is about to kill me." Will said with chagrin.

"Charles won't kill you." Elizabeth giggled, "You are going to be Best Man at his wedding so he'll wait to kill you until after the wedding."

Will laughed, "As usual, you are correct but I can't wait until I have you in my arms again."

"You have a one track mind." Elizabeth chastised him gently.

"Oh, but it's a track that you like a lot." Will whispered in a husky voice.

"You know me well." Elizabeth giggled, "I can't wait to see you but I have to say goodbye as it's time for class."

I love you." Will sounded tired, "I'll see you after school."

"Bye."

The afternoon was just as long as the morning and when the final bell rang, Elizabeth rushed out of the classroom and when she saw Will walking down the hall she ran and threw herself into his arms.

"I take it you're happy to see me." Will's voice was like velvet against her ear.

"More than you know." Elizabeth agreed as she tilted her head to kiss him.

"I should get you home." Will nodded at Richard as they waited for Georgie and Carter to join them.

They all made their way to the cars and the drive to the Darcy house was quick. Elizabeth went upstairs to do her homework while Will talked to Richard and the other bodyguards.

Will went to his study and tried to get some paper work done but he couldn't stop thinking about Wickham going after Elizabeth. Richard has told him that one of his guys had found the first piece of evidence to Wickham's whereabouts as they had found proof that he had boarded a plane from San Francisco to Los Angeles the day after he had the confrontation with Elizabeth and Will.

Will hoped that he was really gone but somehow he didn't believe that Wickham be dissuaded this easily. He sighed and laid his head on his desk with a sigh.

When Will left the study, he walked to the kitchen and found Elizabeth cooking dinner with Georgie, Richard and Forster sitting at the table talking. Will found out that Carter was patrolling the perimeter to secure the house. Elizabeth looked adorable with her hair caught up in a pony tail and he could smell the chicken frying in the pan.

He walked up behind her and turned her around as he kissed her. "That smells great, darling."

"Thank you." Elizabeth said before she turned back to check on their dinner.

Dinner was a sober affair and everyone ate quickly. There was a knock on the door after they ate and Richard answered the door and found Neal there to see Georgie.

"Neal." Georgie said with obvious enjoyment, "What are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to see how you were doing?" Neal couldn't keep his eyes off Georgie.

"I'm doing fine." She nodded at her cousin, "Its better knowing Richard is here looking out for us."

Georgie took Neal upstairs to Elizabeth's study so that he could help her with homework.

"I wish Wickham were dead." Will muttered under his breath only loud enough for Elizabeth to hear, "I hate what he has done to this family."

"I know." Elizabeth said as she took him by the hand and walked him to the living room and pulled him down on the sofa with her while the other two men made themselves scarce. She took his face in her hands and kissed his lips tenderly, "We can't let something like this to rule our lives."

Will deepened the kiss and demanded a response from her as he pulled her onto his lap. His lips moved against hers with a furious need which pushed him to the edge of his self control and he said with a velvety intensity, "Let's go upstairs, baby. I want you so badly."

"I want you too." Elizabeth ran her hand along his chest before she stood and put her hand out for him to take. Will pulled her back on top of him and stood up as she wrapped her legs around his waist. He walked upstairs carrying her to their bedroom.

The rest of the week went the same way and on Thursday, Richard and Carter accompanied Elizabeth and Georgie to their self defense course.

When they got home, Will met them at the door and picked his wife into his arms. "I missed you." When he put her down he gave Georgie a hug and rumpled her hair, "I missed you too, Munchkin."

Georgie laughed, "Like I didn't know that you always miss us." She reached up and mussed her brother's hair and winked at Elizabeth, "We always miss you too." She raced upstairs.

Elizabeth stood on her tip toes as she leaned up to kiss her husband, "I'm going upstairs to get a shower."

After she had left, Richard turned to Will, "They are both doing very well in their self defense class." He looked amused, "Much better than I would have suspected. I wouldn't want to be a mugger who found one of those two in a dark alley."

Will chuckled, "Elizabeth has never been a woman that anyone would want to cross so I will take your word for that."

"She is quite a woman." Richard said with a smile, "I just don't know how you got that lucky."

Will rolled his eyes, "It wasn't luck because with my lovely wife it was my tenacity that won her in the end."

"So Georgie tells me that Anne is coming to town for the charity ball that you are all going to, I would like to be a fly on the wall when Elizabeth meets Anne." Richard laughed, "You're just lucky that Catherine isn't coming."

Will grinned with a mocking smile, "Elizabeth has already met Anne and Aunt Catherine."

"Well, come on Will." Richard's eyes were wide with surprise, "Give me the details. How did that go?"

"Catherine threatened to have our marriage annulled and after insulting my wife acutely, I kicked her out of my house."

"Wow." Richard's eyes grew wide, "What did that feel like?"

"It was extraordinarily satisfying." Will laughed.

"So what about Anne?"

"Anne and Elizabeth got along very well." Will said with a wink.

"Tell me how that went down?" Richard was frustrated, "Before I have to remind you why you shouldn't tease me."

"Richard," Will had a huge grin on his face, "Come to find out Anne is a lesbian and has a girlfriend named Sandy." He raised his eyebrows in a mock salute, "But Anne did find my Elizabeth _very_ attractive."

"_What!" _Richard voice raised about three octaves, "How the hell did that happen?"

Will looked into Richard's red face and couldn't help but laugh with obvious humor, "Well, I can't be sure about the details as I've never been in a lesbian relationship but I would imagine things happened in a fairly normal manner."

Elizabeth walked into the room and found her husband almost in tears from laughing and she asked, "What is so funny?"

Richard threw Will a scathing look and answered, "Your husband found it very amusing that I asked him how it happened that Anne became a lesbian."

Elizabeth tried to stop the giggle that escaped her lips and between gulps of air she said, "You asked Will how Anne became a lesbian." She turned to her husband, "I don't think Will could be responsible for any woman turning gay." She arched her eyebrows at Will and he caught her rear with one hand, "He's very good in bed."

Richard blanched as Will groaned and slid his hands up her body in response, "You smell so good my love."

Richard rolled his eyes, "You two are completely nauseating, I wish there was some way I could get out of this house."

Will looked at him with his eyes twinkling, "You just have to catch Wickham and you can go."

Richard shook his head and walked toward the door, "I'll just take watch for the evening just to get away from all the love in this room."

As they watched Richard walk from the room, Elizabeth giggled, "That was very naughty of us."

"I like you naughty." Will kissed her hard on the lips, "But we'll take care of that later tonight."

"We'll see." Elizabeth looked up at him through her eyelashes, "I have to study for a test tomorrow."

"Don't tease me, baby."

"You like it when I tease you." Elizabeth winked at him as she slid out his arms and ran upstairs but she called back to him, "I'll come tease you later."

"You'd better." Will grinned to himself.


	24. Chapter 24

Will dressed in his black formal attire and waited impatiently for his wife to appear at the top of the stairs. His mouth dropped open when Elizabeth appeared. She was wearing the red and black dress he had bought her while they were on their honeymoon in Paris. Elizabeth had her hair up in a soft arrangement with curls framing her face and bouncing free in back so that they touched her neck.

He watched as she glided down the stairs to meet him. When she arrived at his side, he ran his fingers over the side of her face, "You look lovely this evening." His kissed her on the side of the mouth and he whispered, "Do you remember the last time you wore this dress?"

Elizabeth glanced up at him with a light shining in her eyes, "I was wearing this when I seduced you on our honeymoon."

A growl of desire escaped from Will as he pulled his wife to him, "I love the way you say that." He picked her up into his arms, "It makes me think that we should go right back upstairs."

Georgie appeared above them on the stairs, "Will Darcy, you put Elizabeth down this instant or we're going to be late for the Charity Ball." She peeked at the clock, "Neal should be here any minute."

Will reluctantly set his wife back onto her feet and the doorbell rang as if on cue. Richard who was also dressed formally answered the door. Neal was standing at the door looking very awkward in his ill-fitting rented formal wear. Georgie didn't seem to notice as she rushed to his side, "You look wonderful, thank you for accompanying me."

"You're very welcome and thank you for inviting me." Neal answered stiffly as he looked around slightly embarrassed.

It had been decided that Richard would accompany the party inside during the ball and the other two men were to be stationed at the doors of the event.

Elizabeth appraised her husband in his tuxedo and whistled with appreciation as she ran her fingers down his chest, "You look good enough to eat." Elizabeth smiled with satisfaction as she saw the flames of desire leap in her husband's eyes.

Will slid his arm around her waist and pulled Elizabeth toward him as he ran his hand down her curvy behind.

Georgie scowled at the two of them, "That is enough. There will be no more of this fooling around until after the Ball."

Will's eyes were wide with surprise as his sister chastised them like they were misbehaving children and he couldn't help but grin, "Yes, Mother." He mock saluted as his eyes danced with delight.

The large party divided into two cars with Will, Elizabeth and Richard in one while Neal, Georgie and the other two body guards followed behind.

_God, I hate these things. _Will thought as he stood at the entrance to the loud noisy party with his wife and Richard standing on either side of him. "Do we really have to go in?"

"Charles told me that this would happen and his answer was a resounding, 'Yes'". Elizabeth answered with a giggle as Will glanced at her sharply with a frown on his face.

Richard discretely moved away from the couple so that they could talk in private.

Elizabeth saw the hard tense lines of her husband's face and sighed. _I only thought I would use this as a last resort._ She stepped toward Will and wound her arms around his waist. She could feel the pounding of his heart as her body melted into his. Elizabeth hands found the small of his back under his tuxedo jacket and lowered them as she ran her hands along his backside and pressed her body into his as she moved against him in a sensual way.

She felt his body relax as he looked down into her eyes while he bent down and gathered her into his arms with a smoldering kiss. When his lips released hers, Elizabeth said, "I've seen you in crowds before and you'll be fine." Her face lit up in an encouraging smile, "You can do this and I'll be at your side the whole time."

"I just hate these things." Will said between clenched teeth.

"But I've never been with you before." Elizabeth reminded him with a smile, "I will do my best to keep you distracted with other things."

Will kissed the top of her head as he pressed his fingers into the hair at the back of her neck, "I love when you distract me."

"I know." Elizabeth giggled, "Now let's go in before the party is over."

Will kept one arm around her waist as they entered through the doors. Will and Elizabeth quickly found Georgie and Neal and took their seats just in time as the speaker was being introduced.

"It is my great privilege to introduce tonight's speaker, Charlotte Lucas." There was a large round of applause as the woman walked to the podium. She carried herself with an air of confidence and self-assured poise.

The room quieted down as the woman began to speak, "I know many of you women out there think that it is impossible to extricate yourself from a bad situation." She paused for effect, "But it can be done." She took a deep breath, "I was married to a man who wanted to control every aspect of my life. He told me when to eat, drink and how I should set my table. He dictated my clothes, my friends and I was subject to punishment for any transgression no matter how slight." She lifted her head with pride, "It took me a long time to stand up to him but I did and now I've got a life that makes me proud."

Charlotte Lucas shared the details of her marriage with the room and finished with, "In closing I would like to note that I received a call from my ex-husband who praised me on my new found strength of character and asked me out for dinner." She smiled and winked, "He has said that he wants me back as the woman I am today." Her tone grew serious, "I'm sure that he thinks that he can charm his way back into my life and things will go back to the way they were." She lifted her shoulders, "What he doesn't seem to understand is that I have found my own strength, my own pride and my own voice so that I don't _need_ him anymore." She glanced around the room, "To any of you who think that you are not strong enough to cope with the demons in your life, let me leave you with this, you are wrong." Her voice was strong as she made her point, "Stand up for yourself, don't take 'no' for an answer and take charge of life. It is _yours_ after all."

The applause rocked the room as Charlotte Lucas thanked the audience and left the stage.

After dinner, Will and Elizabeth circulated through the room, greeting and talking with people. Every once in a while Elizabeth would see Will's eyes glaze over and his posture go rigid. When that would happen, she would stand on her toes and reach up to kiss him.

"Will, Elizabeth." A voice called from behind the couple and Richard was instantly at their side.

Elizabeth and Will turned to see Anne making her way toward them with a pretty dark-haired woman in tow.

Elizabeth smiled and took Anne's hands, "Anne how nice to see you again."

Anne smiled at Will, "I see you two are still together. That's too bad but I'd like to introduce you to my girlfriend, Sandy." She turned to the woman, "Sandy this is Will and Elizabeth Darcy." Anne nodded at Elizabeth, "This is the one I was telling you about."

"It's nice to meet you both." Sandy said in a well modulated controlled voice.

"Anne, it's been a long time." Richard said as he hugged Anne.

"Yes it has." Anne had just introduced Richard to Sandy when she saw Charlotte Lucas and waved her over, "Charlotte that was a great speech." Anne said as she motioned to the group, "This is Will and Elizabeth Darcy, Richard Fitzwilliam and you know Sandy."

"It's nice to meet all of you." Charlotte said politely.

"I liked what you said in your speech about taking charge of your life." Elizabeth told the older woman, "I've always had to rely on myself and I know that sometimes all the 'demons' as you called them just seem so overwhelming that you don't think you can get through a situation."

Charlotte appraised Elizabeth for a moment and with insight she asked, "What happened to you?"

Will stood with pride by his wife's side as she explained what had happened to her in her past and the outcome that had changed the way Elizabeth looked at life. Elizabeth shared a few of the details about how she had revenged herself on certain individuals to take back her life. When Elizabeth spoke about Wickham, Will could hear the worry radiate through her.

"Have they caught the man?" Charlotte asked with concern.

"No, he's still eluding capture." Elizabeth admitted and waved at Richard, "We have protection 24/7 but that doesn't stop the fear that sooner or later he will be coming for me or my family."

After Elizabeth had finished, Charlotte Lucas was thoughtful for a few minutes before she spoke again, "My organization could use a woman like you. Would you be interested in speaking or writing a blog about your experiences." She saw the doubt in Elizabeth's eyes, "I think that a great many women, young and old would benefit from what you have to say."

"I don't know why." Elizabeth murmured under her breath.

"Just think about it." Charlotte pulled out a card, "Here's my number, please call me."

Elizabeth glanced at the card before she put it in her bag. She glanced around and saw Georgie pulling Neal out onto the dance floor as the music started.

Will made a formal bow and extended his hand to his beloved, "May I have this dance?"

"I would be delighted." Elizabeth said in an affected accent as she took his hand.

Will drew her hand to his lips with the lightest of kisses as he walked her onto the floor.

He pulled her into his arms and slid across the dance floor with his wife pulled tightly against him.

"Will," Elizabeth whispered, "This isn't a slow dance." She cocked her head to indicate the rock music blaring from the speakers.

"I know," He agreed, "But I don't think that should stop me from holding my wife."

Georgie and Neal danced by the couple, "Come on, you two, show some dignity."

Will just laughed and moved along the floor with Elizabeth and he said in a mock aged voice, "Let's show these whippersnappers how to do it."

He spun Elizabeth away and they launched into a swing dance that moved the two quickly about the floor.

After a couple of dances, Will and Elizabeth walked back to their table and collapsed from exhaustion.

"Water… I need water." Elizabeth moaned as Will flagged the waiter to bring them a couple waters.

"That was fun." Will said as he picked up Elizabeth's hand.

"Yes it was." She smiled up at him and he felt his heart quicken, "You see I told you that I would provide distractions."

"Elizabeth, can I ask you a question?" Will's voice was velvety soft, "Are you wearing panties?"

The waiter picked that moment to bring their water and the look on his face was priceless. Elizabeth laughed as she leaned in and whispered, "Of course I am. I would never show up at a charity event not wearing panties."

Will waggled his eyebrows at her, "I think that would have been very distracting but maybe next time."

Will and Elizabeth danced a few more times before they decided to call it a night and they found Anne talking to Richard.

"So how does that work." Richard was asking Anne as his neck turned red, "I'm just curious."

Anne chuckled as she wrapped her arm around Sandy's waist, "You'll just have to find out for yourself."

Richard sputtered, "But I'm not… I don't have…" His shoulders sagged as he finished, "The right equipment for the job."

Anne and Sandy laughed at Richard's discomfiture as they shrugged.

Elizabeth chastised him with a giggle, "Richard, I'm ashamed of you asking such a question, I can't take you anywhere without you embarrassing me."

She hugged Anne and Sandy goodbye, "We were just leaving but I hope you will both come see us soon."

Will mumbled under his breath, "But you can leave your mom at home"

Sandy lifted her hand to Will for a high-five, "Now you're talking my language."

Anne just shook her head at Elizabeth, "Mother doesn't approve of our relationship and pretty much acts as though Sandy doesn't exist and it's very frustrating."

They found Georgie and Neal as they made their way to the cars. The drive home was uneventful but it was after midnight when they pulled the cars into the garage.

Georgie said goodnight to Neal in the driveway, "I'll call you in the morning."

Will glanced at Richard before he picked Elizabeth up into his arms, "We'll see you in the morning."

Elizabeth fluttered her eyes at Will, "You are such a caveman tonight."

As he jogged up the stairs Will smiled, "I've been wanting to do this ever since you walked downstairs earlier."


	25. Chapter 25

Monday was Valentine's Day and Will had spent a lot of time making plans to surprise his wife with a romantic evening.

When Elizabeth and Georgie got home from school, Will was beside himself with excitement. Georgie just smiled and shook her head before she headed upstairs while Richard and the security guys mumbled something and went outside to patrol.

Will picked Elizabeth into his arms and he felt joyful and complete when she was with him. She tilted her head towards him and he lips came down on hers as he took what she offered.

When he lifted his head, Elizabeth was breathing deeply and she laughed, "Will Darcy, what is all this exuberance about?"

Will grinned in a way that made Elizabeth feel tingly all over, "I have a special Valentine's night planned for us." His heart beat faster as he saw the smile light up his wife's face, "Now you need to go upstairs and put on something romantic." He set Elizabeth down on her feet and he slapped her playfully on her rear end.

She turned back and smiled at him, "I think I have some sweats and a sweater that should do nicely." She raised her eyebrows flirtatiously before she turned and dashed upstairs.

Will caught her about half way up the stairs and threw her over his shoulder while Elizabeth giggled as she flailed her feet. He tossed her onto the bed gently and turned to the closet, his voice teasing, "I guess I will have to pick out something for you."

His hands moved along the cloths until his fingers came to rest upon the white dress she had worn at the Christmas party and their wedding ceremony and he looked at her with a wicked grin. "I would like to see you in this one." The lascivious look in his eyes shot shivers down her back, "I never have had the pleasure of removing this from your luscious body and I would really like to do that."

Elizabeth blushed as she understood his meaning and she moved to stand behind him, slid her arms around his waist and laid her head on his shoulder. "You may have whatever you want, my love."

He turned around and enfolded her in his arms, "Now that I have you, I have everything I've ever wanted." His eyes glinted with love.

"Since we are going out tonight, I'm going to take a quick shower." Elizabeth said as she slipped from her husband's arms.

"We could take a shower together." Will said suggestively as he reached for her.

"Now that would defeat the purpose and it would no longer be a quick shower." Elizabeth laughed as she turned to walk into the bathroom and then he heard the water begin to run.

Will turned around when there was a knock on the door and he heard his sister ask, "Are you two decent?"

Will opened the door and ruffled her hair, "We're always decent."

Georgie rolled her eyes, "Will I wanted to ask you a question?" Georgie said nervously.

"Go ahead." His eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"Neal wants to come over for Valentine's." Georgie looked into her brother's eyes and rushed to finish, "I know you have plans with Elizabeth but I was thinking that since Carter is here he could chaperon us."

Will was shaking his head in the negative before she stopped speaking, "No, for one thing, you're too young to be in a serious relationship and for another, it is not Daniel Carter's job to chaperon you." He saw the devastated look on Georgie's face and he tried to soften the blow, "If Elizabeth and I were going to be here, you know that we would be happy to have Neal join us but I want to do something special just with Elizabeth for our first Valentine's together."

"Will, that's not fair." Georgie protested and stomped her foot angrily, "You always get what you want. I don't see why Carter can't be our chaperon when he is going to be here anyway."

Will had never seen his sister behave like this but he wanted to explain, "Georgie, you know Carter is here to protect you. It is his job to keep you safe and what would happen if he is in here with you and Neal and Wickham managed to get into the house because Carter wasn't patrolling the perimeter."

"Fine, whatever," Georgie said angrily as she ran out the room.

After Will had his conversation with Georgie, he went downstairs to make sure that he was clear with Daniel Carter before he and Elizabeth left for their date.

When Elizabeth walked out of the bathroom, Georgie was waiting for her.

"Where's Will?" Elizabeth asked as she looked at Georgie quizzically.

"He's downstairs." Georgie answered before she said, "Elizabeth, I want to talk to you about something."

"You know you can talk to me about anything." Elizabeth smiled at her sister.

"I want to invite Neal over tonight while you are on your date." Georgie told her, "I want to spend a romantic Valentine's with him." Georgie looked up at her with pleading eyes.

Elizabeth shook her head, "I don't think that's a good idea, you're too young to be getting that serious about a boy."

"So were you but that didn't stop you from marrying my brother." Georgie lashed out at her in anger.

Elizabeth stood there for a moment shocked that Georgie would speak to her that way.

Georgie's anger drained away as she looked up at Elizabeth. She saw the hurt etched across Elizabeth's face and she was immediately contrite, "I'm so sorry, Elizabeth but I hoped you would be on my side."

"I'm always on your side, Georgie." Elizabeth said emotionally as she suddenly had an insight into Georgie's meltdown, "But what did Will have to say when you asked him?"

"He said the same thing." Georgie admitted glumly.

"Georgie, you have to understand." Elizabeth's voice was low, "You know that I like Neal but he is much older than you and he will be going away to college in the fall." She shook her head, "I don't want you to get hurt when he leaves and as much as it pains me to say, I think you would do better keeping your relationship casual so that neither of you get any more emotionally involved than you already are. Georgie you're thirteen, you will fall in and out of love a number of times before you finish high school, trust me." Elizabeth smiled weakly as she finished.

"I guess you're right." Georgie said mildly, "It's just that I watch you and Will every day and I just want what you have."

"You will one day," Elizabeth's voice cracked with emotion, "When you're ready."

"Thank you," Georgie smiled, "Now we need to get you ready for your romantic date."

Will had watched the interaction between Georgie and Elizabeth from the hallway and as always Elizabeth seemed to know exactly what to say to Georgie. His wife had a real gift for making other people feel better. He decided to give the two some bonding time together and walked back down to his study.

Will was waiting for Elizabeth in the living room when she and Georgie descended the stairs. His heart did a somersault as he saw her in the white dress. She looked so lovely that he once again found himself wondering what he had done to deserve such a wonderful woman.

He pulled the wrap from his wife's hands and wrapped it around her shoulders before he slid his arm through Elizabeth's and walked her to the door.

"Will," Georgie called and when he turned to look at her she was smiling, "It's a school night so I expect you to have Elizabeth home at a decent hour."

Will led Elizabeth down the same path that they had walked on their first date almost three months ago. The path was lit with twinkle lights as it had been that night but Elizabeth's breath caught in her throat when they turned a corner and she saw that a romantic table had been set up and there was a string quartet playing.

Will pulled out the seat for Elizabeth with a smug expression and when he sat next to her the waiter bustled over to pour them champagne.

Elizabeth took a sip and looked at Will expectantly.

"I wanted to celebrate our first Valentine's Day together in style." Will said with a smile as he saw the awe expressed in his wife's face.

She chuckled, "So are you trying to tell me that I'm not to expect this treatment every year."

Will leaned in to kiss her lightly on the lips, "I will always feel blessed to have you in my life and will strive to keep surprising you, my love."

Their dinner was served and the pasta was exquisite but when they got to the desert, Will watched his wife as she ate the apple pie which he knew was her favorite. The way she savored every bite was so erotic that he couldn't keep his eyes off her.

As she finished, he leaned forward and with a soft kiss and nibbled her lips. "You taste like apple pie." He said as his tongue dipped into her mouth for a taste. "So sweet and tart, just like you," His voice was playful as he felt Elizabeth move against him as she deepened the kiss.

"You taste good too." She breathed against his mouth before she moved to sit on his lap, "I love you, Will Darcy." Her voice grew husky as she murmured, "Can we go home now?"

He stood up with her still in his arms and carried her back to the car and drove home quickly. He carried her upstairs to their room where he set her on her feet. He unzipped the dress slowly and caressed her back as he molded his body to hers while he kissed her passionately. When he had finished with the zipper he pushed the dress off her shoulders and watched as it dropped to the floor.

Will stood there in surprise for a moment taking in his wife's naked form and heard her throaty laugh before she leaned forward to unbutton his shirt. "I like to surprise you too."

Elizabeth worked each button loose on his shirt before she ran her tongue along the exposed skin and Will's breathing became heavy and ragged. Once she had discarded his shirt, Elizabeth pulled him to her by the waistband of his slacks. She pressed her hand against her husband's obvious arousal as she worked the button free. She slid the zipper down and when Will was free of his clothing he moved Elizabeth to the bed.

As they fell laughing onto the bed, Will looked into the eyes of his wife and saw the dark desire there was a mirror of his own need. Elizabeth turned him over so that she was straddling her husband and she leaned down to kiss him as they drove each other's bodies to the limit while the ferocious desire fueled their bodies' reactions. As they wore each other out the culmination of their love exploded around them and they found release in each other's arms.

* * *

While he was at work on Friday, Will tried to figure out something that had been bothering him for a while. Once in a while since the night that he had found Elizabeth crying because she had found out that she wasn't going to have a baby, he had witnessed a look of sad yearning on her face. Will had come to the conclusion that it was possible that Elizabeth really wanted to have a baby. He sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair in frustration and realized that there was also the possibility that is was just wishful thinking on his part because he wanted to have a baby with her so badly.

He had been thinking about this for too long and his brain was still going around and around in circles. He needed to get advice from someone he could trust and he thought about Charles Bingley. He breathed a sigh of relief, not only was he going out with Elizabeth's sister Jane but he had always been a good friend to Will.

Will walked to Bingley's office and he saw him at his desk when he entered the room.

"Charles, can I ask you a question?" Will asked tentatively because he was unsure about how to phrase his request.

"Sure, how can I help?" Charles asked not looking up from his paperwork.

"Do you find that women don't tell you what they really want?" Will looked at his friend and waited for an answer.

"Will, what is this about?" Bingley asked as he looked up at Will and when he shook his head in the negative, Bingley said, "You're going to have to give me some more information if you expect me to give you an informed answer."

"I don't want to go into specifics as it might not be something I should be discussing." Will looked at his friend with a shrug of his shoulders, "It's personal."

"I kind of figured that out as you are asking a question about a woman who I have to assume is your wife." Charles responded with a laugh, "Just give the situation without the details."

"I have a situation where I think that Elizabeth wants something and is not telling me because she doesn't think she should want what she actually wants." Will shook his head, "So my question is should I make sure that Elizabeth gets what she wants or will she be mad at me for going against her stated wishes? Does that make any sense?"

Bingley nodded, "If I understand you correctly, you think Elizabeth has told you one thing but means another."

"That's the crux of the matter." Will admitted with a sigh, "She always puts other people's needs above her own and I think that is what she is doing in this instance."

"Jane does the same thing." Charles said thoughtfully, "When we were out shopping for her engagement ring she picked out a very inexpensive ring but when we were looking, I caught her sighing over the ring I was sure she wanted."

"That's it exactly." Will said excitedly as he sighed with relief, "What did you do about it?"

Bingley looked embarrassed, "I got her the ring I thought she wanted."

"Did she like it?" Will asked as his hope flared.

"She nearly jumped for joy." Charles admitted, "She's been extremely happy ever since."

Will sighed, "Okay so I'm not crazy." His thoughts swirled around his head, "I just have to find a way to give Elizabeth what she wants without her feeling guilty about getting what she desires." Will ran his fingers through his hair, "This is going to be tricky." He turned to leave and said over his shoulder, "Thank you, I appreciate your help."

Later that afternoon, Charles Bingley walked into Will's office waving a piece of paper, "We've finally got the report from the auditors."

Will looked up, "So what is the bottom line?"

"There is another hundred thousand dollars unaccounted for." Bingley said in a flat, tired voice, "The good news is that there hasn't been any more money missing since the original embezzlement came to light." Bingley looked exhausted, "The books were so cleverly manipulated that it took this long for the auditors to find all of the false trails and discover the proof we needed."

Will sighed, "I'll transfer the money into the winery's account this afternoon." He chuckled, "At least this time Elizabeth and I don't have to get married again to take care of her father's debt."

Will's voice trailed off as he spoke the last word and he knew he had a solution to the problem he had been pondering all afternoon. A way to give Elizabeth what she really wanted without her feeling guilty had just fallen onto his lap.

Will sighed with relief when he looked up as he heard Bingley say on his way out the door, "I'll write an e-mail to the board."

Will called his bank and made the arrangements for the transfer before he contemplated what he was going to do. His heart beat with worry as he thought about what he was going to do and he knew there was a chance that this could backfire on him but he was sure that he knew Elizabeth well enough to know that her desires in this instance were the same as his. For just a minute he let himself fantasize about Elizabeth holding their child in her arms. A look of joy and radiance would be on her face as she thanked him for the wondrous gift.

He loved Elizabeth so much that he would always make sure that she always got what she wanted even if he had blackmail her to take the gift.

* * *

He waited nervously at the house for Elizabeth and Georgie to get home and he ruffled Georgie's hair when she came in the door, "How was school, Munchkin?"

"Great." Georgie said, "I got an A on my English test." She glanced over at her sister, "Elizabeth helped me study for it."

"That's wonderful." Will said as he glanced around distractedly, "Elizabeth can I see you in my study?"

"Sure." She lifted herself to her toes as she brushed his lips, "What is it? Did they find Wickham?"

"No not yet." He put his arm around Elizabeth's waist and guided her while Will's heart thumped loudly when they got to the study.

He shut and locked the door as he settled onto the sofa with Elizabeth next to him. He stood up and paced the room for a minute, "Elizabeth, we got the final report from the auditors firm."

"Oh." Elizabeth said quietly as she stood and crossed the room to stand in front of her husband, "We knew this was coming but how bad is it?"

"There was another hundred thousand dollars missing that could not be accounted for." Will said trying not to give away any emotion.

"Will…" Elizabeth began to speak when Will held up his hand for her to stop.

"Elizabeth, I am willing to cover the amount and transfer the money on one condition." Will took his wife's hand as he rubbed circles on her palms absently and his voice was husky with desire as Elizabeth looked at him speculatively, "I want you to give me a baby," He looked into his wife's eyes but he couldn't read her reaction, "We can start trying tonight."

Elizabeth stepped away from him as though he had burned her, "Will we've talked about this and it's not the right time for us to have a baby."

"My darling," Will said softly aware that he hadn't made his condition clear, "You give me a baby and I'll replace the money." He had a catch in his throat, "If I don't replace the money the board will go after you father and take everything that your parents have, the house, the cars… everything." His voice took on a desperate quality, "Elizabeth, I know you want a baby too and it's not such a great thing for me to ask in order to save your family."

Elizabeth's eyes grew stony and cold, "Let me get this straight, you're using the situation with my father to blackmail me into having a baby when I've made it abundantly clear that I don't want a baby right now."

Will started to panic, this wasn't going the way he thought it would, "Yes but is it really blackmail when I know how badly you want the baby too." He reached out to stroke her face, "Remember how you felt the night you found out you weren't pregnant and I know that I've seen you with that same look of longing since then too."

"Will, I would never sell my baby to the highest bidder." Elizabeth said with hard steely determination, "You of all people should know that about me because you're supposed to be the man who loves me, the man I love."

Will gasped as he words cut him, "Elizabeth I didn't mean it like that."

"I don't see any other way that you could have meant it." Elizabeth glared at him as she spoke, "Will this marriage is over." She ground her teeth as she spoke, "I'm leaving you and if you want to punish my family for that then I'll just have to live with that but I'm not going to live with you anymore." Her eyes blazed with fury as she spat out, "But you know what, I don't think you will punish my family because you don't want the truth of our marriage to become public knowledge."

"Elizabeth," He stepped towards her and took her arm, "Please don't do this, I love you"

"Let go of me Will Darcy," Elizabeth snarled, "And if you really loved me, you wouldn't be doing this to me. You've never loved me; you just want to possess me. That's why you want a child so badly, just another possession to show off and admire." Her voice was harsh, "Get out of my way, Will don't make me hurt you and you know I can."

"I don't want to lose you." Will said with desperate pain as Elizabeth stepped away from him

"You should have thought about that before you tried to buy my baby." Will saw the pain mirrored in Elizabeth's eyes and he knew that he had the biggest mistake of his life.

Elizabeth stormed out of the room as she left Will standing there in stunned silence. He came to his senses quickly as he followed behind her as she headed for the front door without a backward glance.

"Elizabeth." He called and she turned for a moment but he had never seen her so angry and he knew that he had lost everything when she turned away from him and twisted the knob, "Please, don't go." His voice was so quiet that he didn't know if she heard him.

Will's eyes were filled with pain as he watched Elizabeth walk out of the house and out of his life. He turned to Richard, "Go with her and make sure she is safe."

* * *

Richard followed Elizabeth out of the door as she walked to the garage to get her car, "Elizabeth, wait for me." Richard yelled.

Elizabeth stopped and when she turned, Richard saw the tears streaming down her face. He reached out and hugged her to him while she cried her grief.

She pulled back from him once she had composed herself and Richard was emotional as he spoke, "I don't know what just happened but I'm sure that you two will figure it out."

Elizabeth sniffed, "No we won't." She hiccupped through the words, "You don't understand." Elizabeth rubbed her hand over her face and her breath was quick and shallow, "I will never forgive him for what he's done." She cupped her face in her hands as she turned and fumbled with the keys to her car.

"Where are you going?" Richard asked with concern.

"I don't know." Her voice cracked as she slumped against her car.

"Let me take care of it." Richard had his cell phone in his hand and arranged a hotel room for her in a few minutes. When he got off the phone he took the keys from her hand, "Let me drive."

"You don't have to." Elizabeth protested, "I'm okay."

"Elizabeth," Richard's voice was gentle, "It's my job to take care of you and you know that Wickham is still out there." His eyes bore into her with intensity, "Don't think that he wouldn't take advantage of this opportunity to hurt you."

Elizabeth shuddered with disgust, "Elizabeth, I'm here for you to keep you safe, only you." His eyes were gentle, "Do you understand?"

"Yes." Elizabeth answered as Richard helped her into the car and hopped into the driver's seat.

Richard settled Elizabeth into her hotel room and he arranged for Forster to watch her and made sure that the hotel's security was briefed. He then went to the Darcy's house to pick up some cloths and personal items for Elizabeth.

He saw the light was on in the study but he ran upstairs and knocked on Georgie's door. "Richard what's going on?" Georgie asked when she saw the look on her cousin's face.

"I need you to help me get together some clothes and other items that Elizabeth will need." Richard said quickly, "I don't a clue what she will need."

Georgie looked confused as she sat upright in her bed, "What is it? Where is Elizabeth?"

"She's gone Georgie." The voice came from the door, "Elizabeth has left me." Will said and Georgie saw that his shoulders were slumped and his eyes were red as if he had been crying.

"Why?" The word came out of her mouth before she could stop it."

Will looked from his cousin to his sister and shrugged, "I can't tell you." He leaned down and placed his hands on his thighs as his breath came in short gasps. "Not without telling you everything."

Georgie glanced at Richard begging for help, "Let us help you to your room." Georgie said as she took his hand and led him down the hall.

Will sat on the end of his bed and laid his head in his lap while Georgie rubbed his back, "Tell me I might be able to help." Georgie said quietly.

He sat up as she looked into his eyes with sympathy and he realized that there would be not holding back now. He had messed things up so badly with Elizabeth that he was going to need all the help he could get.

"Elizabeth didn't want to marry me." Will's eyes were clouded in pain, "After the audit, we found out that her father had been embezzling money from the company for years and I used that information to force Elizabeth to marry me."

Georgie and Richard gasped when they heard Will's words and Georgie asked, "But why?"

"I'm a selfish man and I couldn't face life without her." Will's face was full of pain, "I knew that she would do anything to save her father from jail." A sob escaped his throat, "I used that knowledge to make her do something that I knew she wasn't ready for."

"But you two seemed to be so much in love." Richard said, "I envied your relationship, I thought you had everything."

"We did have everything." Will's face shifted and he had a faraway look in his eyes, "She did come to realize that she loved me but I ruined the love and trust she gave to me by being greedy for more." His lowered his head and he spoke so softly that Richard just barely caught the words, "I really did think that she wanted my baby."

"What was that about a baby?" Richard was perplexed, "Is Elizabeth going to have a baby."

"No." Will moaned, "But I've been trying to convince her to have a baby with me since we were on our honeymoon."

"Will." Georgie spoke out, "Elizabeth is too young to have a baby." She looked at her brother sternly, "She's still in high school and she wants to go to college. Why would you think that the two of you should have a baby now?"

"Because I'm an idiot," Will admitted, "Elizabeth said the same thing to me many times but I kept pressuring her." He closed his eyes, "There was a time that we thought she might be pregnant and when she realized that she wasn't I found her crying." Will's eyes were full of pain, "I convinced myself that she just needed a reason to get pregnant so I told her that I would cover the rest of her father's debt if she would have a baby with me."

"You did what." Georgie cried in outrage, "You tried to blackmail her to have a baby."

Richard's face drained of color as he shouted, "I don't blame her for leaving you." He glared at Will, "I can't believe you would throw away your life with her because you are so impatient that you can't wait for her to grow up before you insist she gives you a child."

Richard paced the room as he tried to contain his fury, "Georgie can you help me collect some things for Elizabeth." His eyes blazed with anger, "I had a little hope that this could get cleared up but after hearing that I don't believe she'll ever come back and would be surprised if she did."

Will looked terrified at his words and bolted to his feet as he watched Richard grabbing clothes from the closet, "Will I think you should leave the room while we do this." Georgie said as she led him to the door and closed it behind him.

She went into the bathroom and collected Elizabeth's things then she sorted out the clothes that Elizabeth would need.

Richard hugged Georgie and picked up the bags. He was so angry that he stormed out of the house without saying goodbye to Will.

Georgie looked for Will when Richard was gone and found him in his study pacing the small room in a panicked frenzy. When he heard the door open, he turned and saw her, "What am I going to do?"

She saw the pain in her brother's eyes but she had no idea how he was going to fix this, "I don't know Will, I'm sorry."

She just watched for a few minutes as he stalked across the room before she spoke, "Will, the only thing that I know is that Elizabeth loves you and I hope that she will be able to forgive you."

Tears glinted in Will's eyes as he gulped for air, "Ever since I met Elizabeth I've done everything wrong and this was just the last in a long line of horrible decisions that I've made when it comes to Elizabeth." His voice lowered and he seemed to be talking to himself, "I don't know how to live without her because she is the air I breathe, she is the sun, the moon and the stars. She is everything to me."

Georgie hugged Will and wondered if there was any way to salvage her brother's life and marriage to Elizabeth. She knew they loved each other but she didn't know if that was going to be enough to overcome what he had done.

**A/N: This has been a wildly emotional chapter for me and I hope you liked it and thank you to everyone who has been supporting this story. This has been the plan all along and there is alot more to this story. Thank you to everyone who supports me and this story. I appreciate all of your input.**

**_For those of you who are (like me) addicted and obsessed with fan fiction there is a place on facebook just for you. Go search for _**

FanFicAholics Anon- Where Obsession Never Sleeps!

Hope to see you there.

Tina Marie


	26. Chapter 26

After a long sleepless night, Georgie was up early on Saturday morning and Daniel Carter escorted her to Elizabeth's hotel.

Elizabeth heard the knock on her door and when she opened it she was surprised to see Georgie standing there, "What are you doing here? Did Will ask you to come? Does he know that you're here?"

Georgie grinned at the rush of questions and answered, "I needed to talk to you, no and no." Georgie's eyes clouded over; "Will wouldn't be happy if he knew that I came here."

"Well I'm glad you came." Elizabeth said as she hugged Georgie and ushered her into the suite. They sat down on the sofa and Elizabeth asked softly, "How is Will?"

"He's not doing well." Georgie looked into Elizabeth's eyes and saw that they were red and puffy as if she had been crying, "You know that he can't stand being away from you."

Georgie watched as a tear slid down Elizabeth's cheek but she just shook her head, "You can't possibly understand."

"Elizabeth, I do," Georgie was embarrassed as she said, "Because Will told Richard and I everything last night."

"Everything." Elizabeth croaked with disbelief.

Georgie smiled, "Everything PG at least." The smile faded from her lips, "Will said that this was all his fault and that you aren't to blame for anything." Georgie glanced toward the door, "Richard was so angry after Will told us about the baby that he wouldn't even speak to him."

Shock flitted across Elizabeth's face before the pain returned, "I don't want to come between Will and his family." She lifted her eyes, "I'll talk to Richard."

Georgie took a deep breath and said what she had come to say, "Elizabeth, I don't want to get in the middle of what's happening between you and Will but I just want to say one thing." Elizabeth watched as Georgie sat up straight and said, "I know that Will loves you more than anything else in this world and I know you feel the same."

"Georgie," Elizabeth said kindly as she took her hand, "what is going on between Will and I has nothing to do with you."

"I know," Georgie said quietly, "and I won't say anything else." She looked down at her hand, "Elizabeth, I want to live with you."

"What." Elizabeth sputtered with incredulity.

"Whatever happens with you and Will, I don't want to lose you." Georgie cried with tears streaming down her face, "I need you in my life."

Elizabeth leaned in and hugged Georgie to her, "You won't ever lose me because no matter what you'll always be my sister." Elizabeth took a deep breath, "But I'm sorry, you can't live with me because it would kill your brother."

Georgie began to sob uncontrollably as she gulped, "Please… Elizabeth."

The tears were shining in Elizabeth's eyes as she shook her head, "Will needs you more than ever." Elizabeth squeezed her eyes shut tightly, "Could you imagine what it would be like for Will if both of us left him."

Georgie pulled back and wiped the tears from her eyes, "I didn't think about that but you're right." Her voice cracked with the weight of her emotion, "But I'm going to miss you."

"We'll see each other every day in school." Elizabeth said quietly, "We can study together and even go shopping or anything else we want to do. We'll see each other so much that you'll be sick of me."

Georgie smiled as she stood, "Yeah, but I'd better get back before Will realizes I'm gone."

As the two made their way to the door, they heard shouting from the hall.

Will stood toe to toe with his cousin, "Let me through, Richard."

"No." Richard stood his ground, "She doesn't want to see you."

"She's my wife." Will growled impatiently as he moved to go by Richard, "My sister is also in there so I have every right to pass."

"Stay back or I will take you down."

The door behind the two men opened and Elizabeth stood there and glared at each with anger as she said with determination, "You two will not fight because of me so let him inside Richard."

Richard stepped aside at her words and Will shot him a triumphant look as he entered the room.

Elizabeth smiled wanly at Richard as she touched his shoulder softly, "It will be okay."

As she closed the door, she turned to Georgie, "Can you give us a few minutes."

When Georgie had disappeared into the bedroom, Elizabeth turned on Will with a snarl, "Don't think that this changes anything because it doesn't."

Will's head reeled back as though she had hit him and he sank to his knees, "Elizabeth, please give me another chance, I'm begging you."

"Get up." Elizabeth looked disgusted as she threw him a withering glare, "I really don't want to hear anything you have to say."

Will got to his feet and held his hands out in front of him as he approached, "Elizabeth, you have to know that I would never intentionally hurt you or your family." He reached for her hand but she drew back, "I had already transferred the money for your father's debt before I got home yesterday, I never meant to hurt any of you."

"So this was all just a bluff to get what you wanted." Elizabeth said bitterly, "Well, I hope it was worth it because now you have nothing."

Will's heart shattered into a million pieces at her words but her reached for her in blind panic, "Elizabeth, you can't do this because if the board were to find out that you've left me they would press charges against your father." His eyes begged, "They would have him thrown in jail and there'll be nothing I can do about that."

Elizabeth sighed with resignation as her chin quivered, "You're right." Elizabeth closed her eyes, "Once again, I have no other choice."

"Elizabeth darling," Will's eyes lit up at her words as he pulled her into his arms, "You won't be sorry, I promise I will never hurt you again." He bent his head to kiss her.

With a cry, Elizabeth grabbed his arm and with the help of her self-defense training, she hurled him to the ground and held her elbow against his throat as she roared in outrage, "Let us get this clear, you will never touch me again."

Georgie heard the commotion, came to investigate and with shock took in the scene before her as Elizabeth asked in a kind voice, "Can you give us a few more minutes," She glared at Will, "We have a few more things to talk about."

Georgie backed out of the room as Will let out a groan, "Can't breathe… let me up."

Elizabeth released him with a look of disgust and as he got to his feet she said, "I will move back into the house but I want my own bedroom in the guest wing of the house as far away from you as I can get."

Will opened his mouth to protest but Elizabeth silenced him with her anger, "This is non-negotiable." She turned her back on him, "I may have to stay married to you and live in your house for the next four years but I will be your wife in name only." When she swung around, there was a determination in her eyes that he had never seen before, "I will keep up appearances in public but in private, I will do everything in my power to stay as far away from you as possible."

"Elizabeth, I will do anything you say as long as you come back to me." Will's voice was soothing, "I love you and I just want you to be happy."

"We've got a deal then." Elizabeth said harshly, "Let me get my things together." She headed to the bedroom to pack.

Will contemplated his wife as she left the room. He had felt a knot in his stomach as he had agreed to her terms and knew that he wouldn't be able to stay away from her. He would do everything in his power to regain her trust and her love. He knew that she loved their physical relationship as much as he did and prayed that he would find a way back into her heart and her bed.

Will paced the room until Elizabeth and Georgie emerged from the bedroom with Elizabeth's suitcase. He inhaled deeply with relief and was grateful that she hadn't changed her mind.

Will took the suitcase from her hand, "So I guess we're ready to go home." Will said with a smile as he gestured toward the door.

As Georgie opened the front door and Richard saw Will carrying Elizabeth's suitcase, his brow furrowed as he said to Elizabeth, "You're going home with him. I can't believe that you have forgiven him."

"I didn't." Elizabeth said as she stepped into the elevator and missed the curious looks that Georgie and Richard gave Will.

The others followed her in to the elevator before they descended to the parking garage.

Once they had arrived, Richard turned Elizabeth toward her car as he asked, "What is going on with you two?"

Elizabeth smiled at him but was firm, "Richard, this is none of your business. This is between Will and I."

"Okay," Richard sounded a little disgruntled, "I'll take the hint and stay out your business."

The drive home didn't take very long and as they walked into the house, Will was already there and Richard excused himself as he decided to patrol the perimeter.

"Elizabeth, please come back to our bedroom." Will said quietly while he held her suitcase in his hand, "I love you, please don't do this to us."

"Will, I'm not the one who did this us." Elizabeth said as she tried to take her suitcase from him.

"Fine, we'll do this your way." He exhaled as he pulled it out of her hands and headed towards the staircase leading toward the guest rooms.

He opened a door and walked inside as he set her suitcase down, "This room has everything you're going to need but if there's anything else don't hesitate to ask." Will's voice was formal but as he caught her eyes she saw the sadness in the depths. He turned and left the room.

Elizabeth unpacked quickly before the intense emotions of the last twenty-four hours hit her and she collapsed onto the bed and cried until she fell asleep.

Will stopped to check on Georgie before he went back to his bedroom. He felt his heart constrict with the pain of the thought. _His bedroom, no it was their bedroom; it was always going to be their bedroom. This wasn't the way it was supposed to be._ Suddenly Will couldn't face the desolate empty room that Elizabeth didn't occupy and he ran to the gym where he tried to work off the anguish that he felt from his heart to the pit of his stomach.

When Elizabeth woke up, she got her books and decided to get some studying done today. After she had finished her homework, she called Jane.

"How would you like to go shopping tomorrow?" Elizabeth asked hoping to find an activity that would get her out of the house.

"Sounds great." Jane agreed, "If it's okay, I'll invite the girls."

"Sure, that's a good idea." Elizabeth said, "I'll ask if Georgie wants to go."

When Will finished his workout, he went to the bedroom and took a shower. He went downstairs to get some dinner and found that Elizabeth must have left his dinner in the warming oven for him.

It gave him hope as he realized that Elizabeth was thinking about him but then Elizabeth always thought of everyone else before herself.

After he ate he went upstairs and knocked on Georgie's door and found her reading in her room.

"Georgie did you hear what Elizabeth and I talked about at the hotel?" Will asked his sister.

Georgie nodded her head in the affirmative as tears glistened in her eyes, "Doesn't Elizabeth love you anymore?"

Will sighed, "I hope so but I'm going to have to work hard to regain her trust."

"So from now on you two are going to be in separate parts of the house." Georgie gulped back her tears, "How will things ever be right again?"

Will pulled his sister into a hug and let her cry against his shoulder, "I don't know."

After Georgie cried out the pent up emotion, she pulled herself back and said, "Will, I need to tell you something."

"You can tell me anything."

"I asked Elizabeth if I could live with her before she decided to move back in." Will narrowed his eyes and pulled his brows together, "She refused to allow it and reminded me of how badly it would hurt you if we both left you."

Will's chest shook with the depth of his emotion, "She's right, it would have killed me."

"I didn't mean to hurt you, Will." Georgie cried as she threw her arms around his neck, "But I couldn't face losing Elizabeth."

"I can't either," Will admitted, "and I don't know what I'm going to do about that."

"You'll figure it out." Georgie said with a smile, "I have faith in you and Elizabeth."

"Thank you."

"Will," Georgie remembered, "There's one more thing. Elizabeth invited me to go shopping tomorrow with her and her sisters."

Will released the breath that he had been holding, "That sounds like fun."

He quickly walked down the hall and opened the door to the bedroom and saw Elizabeth searching through the dresser.

She turned around as she heard him enter, "I needed to get a few things but I'll be done in a minute."

Will couldn't help the grin that appeared on his face, "Take your time." He sat down on the end of the bed, "This is your room too."

"Not anymore." Elizabeth said in an emotionless tone.

Will came up behind her and slid his arms around her waist, "Everything I have belongs to you, my love." He breathed into her ear as his lips found a sensitive area and he felt her shiver.

Elizabeth slipped out his embrace, "Will don't do this."

"I love you so much, I can't help myself." His voice was low and husky as he picked up her hand and stroked the back lightly.

Elizabeth pulled her hand away from him with a jerk and she glared at him before she walked out the door.

Will sighed as he watched her leave; he walked into the shower and turned on the cold water. _This was not going to be easy but he remembered how lonely he had been before Elizabeth and he couldn't face that life again._

_**A/N: I have to admit that this isn't the chapter that I set out to write but the moment moved me and this chapter changes something that I have planned on for six months. I had an epiphany while writing this chapter and I think that this direction is going to be much better than my original one. A lot more angst and drama. I hope you enjoy it and I want to thank all of my wonderful readers for the support that you have shown this story as well as my others.**_

**_For those of you who are (like me) addicted and obsessed with fan fiction there is a place on facebook just for you. Go search for _**

FanFicAholics Anon- Where Obsession Never Sleeps!

Hope to see you there.

**_Tina Marie_**


	27. Chapter 27

"Will, can ask you a question." Georgie asked as she watched her brother picking at his food.

"Sure." His answer was absent-minded as he took a bite of lasagna.

It had been two weeks since Elizabeth had moved back into their house but not into their bedroom and Will was miserable. Elizabeth knew his schedule and she avoided him like the plague. She had made the lasagna and left instructions for it be heated up. He had not seen her since the day he found her getting clothes out of the dresser.

He had come home one day and found all of her things moved out of his room and he had sat down on the bed as he wept his sorrow. He was trying desperately to give her the space that she needed but he had hardly slept since the day she had left. He just couldn't seem to get a good night's sleep without her in his arms.

Will struggled to pull himself out of his bleak mood and looked up at Georgie as he wondered what she wanted to ask him.

"Why did you think that Elizabeth would just accept your blackmailing her into having a baby?" Georgie shook her head, "That just doesn't make sense to me."

Will gulped for air as the pain rose in his chest, "I couldn't trust my own instincts so I went to Charles for advice."

"Okay." Georgie encouraged, "That sounds like a good plan. So what went wrong?"

"I couldn't exactly tell Charles what the issue was so I just gave him the general circumstances." Will's breath was ragged as the pain engulfed him while he explained what he had found about Jane and her engagement ring from Bingley. "He said that Jane was thrilled when she got the ring she really wanted. I just assumed that if I could find a way to give Elizabeth what I thought she really wanted, it would make her happy."

Georgie snorted with disgust, "Will, the circumstances were completely different, couldn't you see that? A baby is a life changing decision and a ring," Georgie paused and looked her brother in the eyes to make sure that her point hit its mark, "is just a ring. Besides wasn't Elizabeth already happy."

Will cringed in mortification at her assessment, "Yeah, I know that now." He looked at his sister, "Is Elizabeth at the library again?"

"Yes," Georgie admitted, "She's been spending a lot of time there, doing her homework and studying."

"She's been avoiding me." Will's voice was hollow when he spoke, "I don't think she's ready to talk to me yet."

Georgie sighed, "Will, she gave you her heart and you broke it into a million pieces before stomping it into dust."

"I know." Will's pain turned to anger as he slammed his hand onto the table, "But how am I supposed to fix this when she won't talk to me?"

Georgie walked behind Will and put her arms around his shoulders, "Maybe this isn't something you can fix." She sighed, "Maybe you just need to give her time to heal and come to terms with what has happened between the two of you."

Will took a deep breath, "How did my baby sister get so wise all of the sudden?"

Georgie just laughed, "I would be insulted by your lack of faith in me if I didn't need to ask you a favor."

Will looked at her and actually smiled, "What do you want?"

"Neal has asked me to go to the basketball game at the high school tonight and I want your permission to go." Georgie asked quickly.

Will caught her eyes, "Georgie, you know our rules."

"Yes," Georgie swallowed, "Elizabeth has agreed to go with us to chaperone."

"What." Will pushed his chair back and stood up, "When did Elizabeth agree to this?"

"I talked to her today at school." Georgie answered, "Please say yes."

Will sat back down and closed his eyes for a minute, "Maybe I should talk to Elizabeth about this." His eyes sought the stairs to the guest wing as he spoke.

"Elizabeth's not up there; I just told you, she's at the library studying." Georgie reminded her brother, "But you could call her to verify."

Will's face took on the forlorn quality that Georgie had grown used to these last few weeks and she couldn't stand another minute of seeing the acute misery on his or Elizabeth's faces, "Will, you could come with me you know, you know Elizabeth with be there." At the mention of his wife's name, Will's head popped up, "It would give you an opportunity to spend some quality time together without all of the pressure." Georgie smirked, "That is if you can keep your hands to yourself." Will looked at her sharply, "You need to start over with Elizabeth and let her know that you love her for her soul and not just her body." Georgie giggled, "Let her know that's she's the love of your life and not just some piece of …"

Will interrupted her with a growl, "Georgie, I don't want to hear that kind of language from you."

"That doesn't make it any less true." Georgie had a sly smile on her face, "Your whole relationship with Elizabeth has been too sexually charged." Will's eyes narrowed at her words and she could see he wanted to speak, "You know it's true, I know it's true and so does anyone who's ever seen you two together." Georgie rushed on to finish her thought, "Just try to spend some time with her without the sexual component." She shrugged her shoulders, "What do you have to lose?"

"Nothing," Will agreed, "Okay, I'll do this your way."

Georgie squealed in delight, "Oh yeah!" Her smile lit up her eyes, "You won't regret it and maybe this could be the first step in getting our family back together." Suddenly all of the good humor left his sister's face, "I miss the two of you being together."

"I do too." Will admitted to Georgie and with a start realized that he missed just having Elizabeth around to talk to and being able to spend time with her.

"Great." Georgie said, "Elizabeth is going to meet us at the school."

* * *

As Will stepped in the crowded gym with his bodyguard shadowing him, his eyes scanned for Elizabeth. When he found her all of the color drained from his face and he felt like someone had punched him in the stomach.

He saw Richard first and just a few feet away, Elizabeth stood at the side of the court talking to a guy who played for the other team. Will clenched his fists as he made his way through the crowd and watched as Elizabeth laughed with the strange boy. She was full of confidence, at ease and smiled at him in a flirty manner as she touched him lightly on the shoulder.

Will was enraged at the thought of Elizabeth flirting with some other guy and the pain lanced through him like a knife. He almost doubled over as he felt like he had been punched in the chest when he saw her hand the boy a folded piece of paper.

_She gave him her phone number._ The flames of anger erupted from his chest, _How dare she, she's my wife._

Will stopped for a moment to get his temper under control before he reached Elizabeth. He tried to quash the flames of jealousy as they threatened to overtake his good sense.

"Darling," He called out as he approached, "I'm sorry I'm late but I got held up at the office." He slid his arm around Elizabeth's waist and he felt Elizabeth stiffen. He reached his other hand out to the young man, "I'm Will Darcy, Elizabeth's husband."

The boy took Will's proffered hand and shook it, "I'm Matt Duffy." He shot Elizabeth a winning smile, "I met Elizabeth a few months ago at the mall." Matt looked around nervously, "I have to go but I'll catch up with you later."

After the boy was gone, Will guided Elizabeth through the crowd and toward the door. He tried to control his jealous rage as he led her down a deserted corridor.

He pinned her up against the wall as he asked through gritted teeth, "What the hell do you think you're playing at giving that kid your phone number? Are you trying to kill me or drive me insane?"

He watched as anger played across Elizabeth's face, "As I didn't even know you were coming tonight then I would say the answer is no."

Will closed his eyes, "Are you planning on having sex with him to teach me a lesson?" Agony was etched across Will's face, "Because if that's what you're planning, why don't you just shot me and get it over with." Will closed his eyes against the pain, "Do you hate me so much that you want to kill me?"

"I don't know what you talking about." Elizabeth said quietly as she saw the anguish on Will's face.

When Will opened his eyes and looked at Elizabeth he was incredulous, "You were flirting with him, you touched him and I saw you give him your number so don't try to deny it."

"It wasn't what it looked like." Elizabeth glanced up at him with a smile, "I wasn't flirting with him and I was giving him Lydia's number."

Will couldn't quite believe what he was hearing, "Really."

"Yes really," Elizabeth explained, "He remembered Lydia from the mall, thought she was cute and asked me for her phone number." Elizabeth's eyes held a hint of mischief, "That was the extent of our conversation."

Will looked into her eyes, saw a glimmer of desire in the depths, felt the pull toward her as if she were a magnet and he leaned down to kiss her. She lifted her head to meet his kiss as he claimed her lips with his and his tongue penetrated the depth of her mouth with a feverish ardor as he felt her response. He uttered a strangled cry from his throat as he tore his lips from hers.

"Damn, Elizabeth, I'm sorry." His voice was contrite, "I didn't mean to force myself on you but I can't even control myself for a few minutes when I'm with you."

Elizabeth lifted her hand and stroked his cheek, "Will, its okay."

"Elizabeth," Will trembled, "I'm sorry about more than just that."

"I know."

"Are you still angry?" He asked quietly.

"Yes."

"There you are." Richard came running down the hall, with Forster on his heals; "Why the hell did you take off like that, you could have been killed."

Richard broke off as he saw the look on Will and Elizabeth's faces, "Damn it Will, don't do that to me again."

"Sorry Richard," Will didn't take his eyes off his wife, "We just needed to talk."

"Will," Elizabeth waved toward the door of the gym, "We'd better get back or else we're not very good chaperones for Georgie."

Will had forgotten all about his little sister and the reason that they were here so he mentally berated himself for his neglect as he followed Elizabeth into the gym.

* * *

When they got back to the house, Georgie left to run upstairs to her room and Will stopped Elizabeth before she disappeared toward guest rooms, "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure." Elizabeth agreed as she turned to face him.

"Elizabeth," Will nervously paced the room, "Pemberly Wineries Spring Celebration is the week after next and it will be expected that we go together."

"Oh."

"We need to make sure to keep up appearances for the board and they will all be in attendance." Will rushed on as he tried to convince her.

"Okay, I'll go with you." Elizabeth agreed as she looked in her husband's eyes.

Will's face broke into a huge grin as he took her hand in his, "Elizabeth, I know you're still angry with me and you have every right to be but do you think you could stop actively avoiding me."

Elizabeth pulled her hand out of his, "Will, you have to give me so time."

"I know and I have been trying," Will's voice was low, "But how are we going to fix what's wrong if you won't talk to me."

Elizabeth closed her eyes, "I don't know if it can be fixed." She turned away from him, "I'll see you around."

Will just stood as Elizabeth walked away from him and up the stairs. There was a deep and penetrating ache in his heart that wouldn't go away.

* * *

It was after 2:00 in the morning and Will was an emotional wreck so he couldn't sleep. He decided to go downstairs and get a glass of water.

When he entered the kitchen he saw that Elizabeth was bent over getting something out of the refrigerator. She was wearing a t-shirt so that he could see the skin all the way up her gorgeous thighs and had a small glimpse of her panties.

His body's response was immediate and he cleared his throat to alert Elizabeth to his presence and sat down at the table to hide his arousal from his wife.

"Will," Elizabeth murmured as she pulled out a foil covered pie pan, "I didn't expect to see you down here so late."

"I couldn't sleep." Will said as he tried to think of anything to dampen his erection, "So what kind of pie is that?"

"Lemon Meringue." Elizabeth took the foil off the top and sat it down on the table, "Do you want a piece?"

"I couldn't refuse a slice of your pie." Will grinned as he watched her get a couple of plates and forks before she cut a slice for both of them and sat one plate in front of Will.

He took a bite and sighed with satisfaction, "This is delicious."

Elizabeth smiled, "Thank you." Will watched as she raised the fork to her lips.

He had to concentrate on something else, "Georgie told me that you have been writing a blog for Charlotte Lucas."

"Yes," Elizabeth's eyes lit up at the mention of her writing, "If I can get a big enough following, Charlotte thinks that it might even turn into a book deal and some motivational seminars as well as speaking engagements."

Will couldn't help but feed off the enthusiasm he felt radiating from Elizabeth, "That's great; this is a wonderful opportunity for you." He looked down at his hands, "You've already helped Georgie so much that I hardly recognize her anymore."

Elizabeth smiled, "Georgie was easy; I just had to give her a push in the right direction."

"You sell yourself short." Will lowered his eyes, "You've been a good friend and sister to her."

"She's a good kid."

Will felt the pain begin to build so he had to change the subject, "So how are your studies going?"

"Good." Elizabeth said, "I've been spending a lot of time at the library studying."

"I know." Will's voice cracked as he pushed his chair back from the table, "I'd better get back to bed."

Elizabeth looked down at his plate and saw that there was still half his piece left, "But you haven't finished your pie."

"I can't eat anymore." Will's stomach felt like it was tied up in knots, "Goodnight."

"Goodnight." Elizabeth said before she cleared up the plates and made her way back to the guest room. She still couldn't think of this room as hers. She threw herself onto the bed as a sob escaped her lips. She cried not only for herself but Will too and she knew she wasn't the only one who was miserable. She punched her pillow and couldn't stop the torturous feelings that appeared. _How did we get here?_

It was early in the morning before Elizabeth finally fell asleep and she had no idea that Will was having the same exact problem.

* * *

_**A/N: I want to thank all of you who have read and reviewed this story. I appreciate you all and hope that you are enjoying the story.**_

**_For those of you who are (like me) addicted and obsessed with fan fiction there is a place on facebook just for you. Go search for _**

FanFicAholics Anon- Where Obsession Never Sleeps!

Hope to see you there.

**_Tina Marie_**


	28. Chapter 28

Elizabeth knew how much Will was hurting because of what had happened between them but she wasn't ready to forgive him, yet. _To be honest, I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to forgive him. But is he the only one at fault here because I only agreed to marry him to save my father from jail. He is my husband and I don't know if I can actually live with the man I love for almost four years without sharing his bed. The truth is that no matter what he had done, I do love him. _Elizabeth cringed inwardly, _But if what I think is true, there's no coming back from that and I will never be able to forgive him ._

Georgie knocked on Elizabeth's door and found her sprawled out on her bed with a pensive expression on her face.

"What are you thinking about?" Georgie asked as she entered the room.

Elizabeth turned over and looked at her sister as she admitted, "Will."

Georgie sat on the end of the bed, "You know you can talk to me about anything."

"I can't talk to you about your brother." Elizabeth shook her head, "It wouldn't be fair to you or to Will."

"Elizabeth," Georgie tried to be patient, "There is no one else to talk with that knows the circumstances of your marriage to Will." Georgie smiled at her affectionately, "I love you both and just want what's best for both of you."

Elizabeth sighed and knew that was the truth so she relented, "I think that Will is seeing other women."

Georgie sat up straight in surprise as she asked, "Why do you think that?"

Elizabeth's face blushed a deep scarlet, "You know that your brother is a very physical person."

Georgie just nodded and Elizabeth continued, "Well in the last couple weeks, I have seen change in that aspect of our relationship."

"But wasn't that part of your stipulation when you agreed to move back in to the house. Didn't you specify that things between you were to be platonic?" Georgie was trying to make sense of Elizabeth's line of thinking.

"Yes but…" Elizabeth stammered, "I didn't really expect him to be able to keep his distance." She closed her eyes, "Especially after the way he kissed me at the basketball game." Elizabeth looked down at her hands in embarrassment, "There was a time when Will couldn't keep his hands off me and now he seems to go out of his way to stay away from me." She raised her eyes to meet Georgie's, "When we are in the same room for any length of time it's awkward and Will always leaves as fast as he can."

Georgie couldn't keep her curiosity away and asked, "Tell me what happened, maybe I can figure out his behavior."

Elizabeth took a deep breath, "Well I first noticed it the Sunday after the basketball game." She looked at Georgie, "You remember when we were all watching a movie in the living room when you got a call from Neal and went upstairs to talk to him."

"Yeah, I remember."

"Sometime during the movie, I must have fallen asleep." Elizabeth took a breath, "When I woke up, I found that I was curled up against Will, he had his arm around me and I could feel his lips against my hair." Her eyes glistened with moisture, "For just a moment, I was happy again and I know that Will was feeling the same way because he was excited, if you know what I mean."

"Oh, I know." Georgie's laugh was short and embarrassed, "I've been living with you two for months and I would have to have been blind and deaf to miss your physical relationship." Georgie couldn't contain her curiosity, "So what happened then?"

"Nothing," Elizabeth admitted, "I looked up at him when he suddenly stood up and bolted from the room. A few minutes later I heard him drive away in his car." She bit her lip as she tried to stop the flood of emotions from assaulting her, "Every night since, Will has taken off in his car and he doesn't come home until the early hours of the morning."

"Oh." Georgie finally understood and wasn't sure how to tell Elizabeth the truth.

"Last night I was bent over getting dinner out of the oven. When I stood up and turned around, Will was standing there. He was clearly aroused but when I tried to talk to him, he made up so excuse and practically ran from the room." Elizabeth shook her head, "Just like all the other nights, he jumped into his car and left." Elizabeth hit the bed with her hand in anger, "It's not like I wanted him to jump into bed with me but I can't bear the thought of him with another woman."

Georgie just stared at Elizabeth for a moment, "I'm sure he's not seeing anyone else."

"Then what is he doing for all of the hours he's gone?" Elizabeth said with anger as she stood up and walked to her dresser, "It doesn't help that we have to go to Pemberly Wineries Spring Celebration together this afternoon and it's the first time since our marriage that we've had to appear at a Pemberly function together." Elizabeth wrapped her arms around her chest, "I've never been so nervous in my life and I have to get out of here for a while to clear my head."

"I'll see you later." Georgie said as she left the room, "But I know that everything will be alright."

When Georgie arrived at her own bedroom, she was halfway between amused and furious. _Typical Will, _She snorted and rolled her eyes with derision, _He had to take my advice way too far. He obviously is trying not to push the physical relationship on her but he obviously doesn't understand that avoiding contact with Elizabeth is just as bad. Damn he doesn't even realize that he is pushing her away._

* * *

Richard stood at the door to Will's bedroom and knocked.

"Come in." The voice was rough and guttural.

"What the hell is going on with you?" Richard asked as he strolled into the room and got a good look at his cousin, "You look like shit, man."

"Thanks." Will growled in a gravelly voice, "Now if that's all you have to say, I would appreciate you getting out and leaving me in peace."

"I just came to let you know what is happening on the Wickham front." Richard said defensively, "But if you don't want to know, I will just leave."

He took a step toward the door when Will stopped him, "Tell me what you came to tell me."

Richard cleared his throat, "I don't have much to say because Wickham is still eluding my people." Richard clenched his fists, "Damn, I don't get it, we should have found him by now." He paced the room, "Every time one of my guys gets close, he just disappears into thin air and nobody's that good. It's almost as though we've been following false leads." Richard hit his head with the palm of his hand, "Damn that's it; Wickham has been feeding us false leads. How could I have been so blind? Now we're going to have to start at the beginning again."

Without saying anything, Will turns toward the window, "I haven't done anything right and now I can't even keep Elizabeth and Georgie safe." Richard put a hand on Will's shoulder, "I definitely don't deserve her."

Richard sighed, "Will, you have to talk to me."

As Will turned toward him, Richard saw the emotion in his face and felt the pain radiating off him in waves, "What is there to say, I've lost Elizabeth and I have nobody to blame but myself."

"I don't understand; where is this coming from?"

"I can't eat, I can't sleep and I can't even be in the same room with Elizabeth because all I want to do is take her in my arms and ravish her." Will breathing was deep and ragged, "I can't live like this and I don't know how to make things right."

Georgie entered the room, "Will I need to talk to you." She saw Richard and stopped, "Sorry Richard, I didn't see you, I'll come back later."

"There's no need." Richard said, "We were just finishing up."

Georgie nodded, "Elizabeth is going out so she'll be looking for you."

"Okay, I'll see you later." Richard said as he left the room.

"Where is Elizabeth going?" Will asked and the worried frown lines deepened on his forehead.

"She's just going out to clear her head, Will." Georgie tried to comfort him, "Don't worry, she'll be back in a little while."

As Richard left the room he laughed when he heard what Georgie had to say, "Will, when are you going to pull you head out of your ass?"

"Georgie, don't speak to me that way," Will chastised her, "You know that our mother would not have liked you using that kind of language."

Georgie rolled her eyes, "I know but I also know that Mom would have been here asking you the same question after seeing how you are screwing up your relationship with Elizabeth."

"What are you talking about?" Will looked confused, "I've been following your advice."

Georgie stomped her foot, "My advice did not include running away from Elizabeth when you get excited."

"She noticed that." Will flushed with embarrassment, "I had hoped I was being subtle."

Georgie rolled her eyes with a smile, "Not even close." The smile died on her face, "She also thinks that cheating on her with other women again because she has seen you leaving the house every night until early in the morning."

"Damn." Will covered his eyes with his hand, "At this point, I'm thinking that God really hates me." He shook his head back and forth, "I couldn't stand it so I just had to get out of the house. I don't go anywhere, I just drive around otherwise I prowl around the house wanting to go to her, take her in my arms and kiss her until she forgets her name." Will clenched his fists, "I miss her so much."

"Stop feeling sorry for yourself and win her back." Georgie shouted, "I'm so tired of seeing the two of you mope around the house."

Will jerked his head up in response, "She mopes around the house because she misses me."

"Of course you big dummy, Elizabeth loves you." Georgie was frustrated with his obtuse question, "But because of your actions, she can't trust you anymore."

Will ran a hand through his hair, "So how do I get her to trust me again?"

"How did you get her to trust you the first time?" Georgie countered with her own question.

Will tilted his head, "When we first dated, I courted her and just showed her how much I loved her and that I was worthy of her trust."

"Well that's what you need to do now." Georgie giggled, "You need to court her, woo her or any of those other old fashioned words that you are so fond of using."

Will grinned as he mussed Georgie's hair, "You're right of course, my beautiful little sister, I don't know how I shall ever thank you."

Georgie closed her eyes and smiled painfully, "Just save your marriage," She tilted her head and said, "Oh and I could use a car when I turn sixteen."

"I will do my best." Will promised as he kissed the top of his sister's hair, "I will begin today while we are together at the spring celebration but I'm not making any promises about the car."

"It was worth a try." Georgie was relieved to see Will's determination return as she smiled up at him, "Win back your love, my dear brother."

Will's eyes clouded over as her words took root in his brain, "I have to because I have no life without her, Elizabeth is everything to me and I can't lose her now."

Will pulled himself out of his thoughts, "Now scoot because I've got a lot of work to do this morning."

Georgie left the room quietly as Will picked up the phone to make arrangements.

* * *

As Elizabeth walked downstairs, she heard the doorbell ring and went to answer the door and she was surprised to see Will standing at the door with a dozen roses and a box of chocolates.

"Will, what are you doing?" Elizabeth asked.

Will stared with his wife as his heart filled with love. She wore a white summer dress with delicate pink flowers and she looked so lovely that Will felt a lump in his throat.

"A young man should always call on his lady love with flowers and chocolates when he arrives for a date." Will said with language that belonged to a long bygone era.

Elizabeth smiled for a minute before a cloud darkened her face, "Well this is not a date it's an engagement that we cannot get out of." She looked around, "Georgie is even coming with us."

Will shook his head, "No she's not." He smiled at the confused look on Elizabeth's face, "Carter is going to take her to Pemberly in the car while we take the short walk through the vineyards to the winery." He took her hand in his, "I thought it would be nice for us to take a walk together."

Will led Elizabeth into the vineyards and he talked to her about the different type of wines and what grapes were grown for each wine.

Elizabeth glanced through her lashes up at Will and enjoyed hearing him speak so eloquently about something he was obviously very passionate about.

Will looked down at Elizabeth as he told her, "I've been reading your blog and it's great."

Elizabeth smiled up at him, "I'm glad you like it. A lot of work goes into it but I'm happy to know that I can help people with my words."

"I'm sure that you're helping a lot of people."

They walked in companionable silence for a while but when they were nearing the winery, Will took the opportunity to speak to Elizabeth about something that had been on his mind for months, "You should be getting your acceptance letters from the colleges you applied to in the new few weeks."

Elizabeth nodded and sighed, "It'll be nice to finally be able to make some decisions regarding college." She confided in him, "I hate having everything so up in the air."

"I know what you mean." Will agreed before he asked his next question, "So if you were to get accepted at all of the colleges that you applied to what would be your first choice?"

Elizabeth stopped walking and Will halted beside her as she contemplated her answer, "It would be hard to turn down a school such as Harvard, Yale and Princeton." Her voice was low and speculative, "My father would be very disappointed in me for turning down a school like that." She smiled and shook her head to the side, "Dad has his heart set on me going to Harvard."

Will picked up one of the curls at the end of her hair before he looked her in the eyes, "Elizabeth, without consideration to anyone else, where do you want to go? What would be your dream school?" Will closed his eyes and almost dreaded her answer but knew that it had to be asked.

"I'm leaning towards UCLA and Stanford but if I had my choice I would go to Stanford." As Will watched his wife, he saw her face relaxed into peaceful lines. "I guess we'll see in a few weeks what my choices will be."

Elizabeth looked up into Will's eyes as he studied her, "Where do you think I should go?"

Will pulled Elizabeth toward him as he wrapped his arms around her and he kissed the top of her head, "The decision is yours and I don't want you to make your choice because you're trying to please me or anyone else." He closed his eyes in pain as the words left him, "Whatever you decide, it's my job to work out the logistics."

Elizabeth felt his arms tighten around her for a moment before he released her and his voice cracked as he said, "I just want you to be happy."

"Thank you." Elizabeth breathed as she watched the battle being waged in her husband's eyes.

By the time Will and Elizabeth had arrived at the winery, the wine tasting was just starting.

Will was glued to his wife's side and took great pleasure in educating Elizabeth to the different wines that Pemberly was known for and he took great pains to take care of Elizabeth. He made sure that she was eating and that she was hydrating on the warm spring day.

Charles Bingley found Will, "It's time for you to speak."

"Okay." Will agreed quickly.

Bingley narrowed his eyes, "You're not going to argue with me about making your speech like you usually do?"

Will laughed as he tapped Bingley on the arm with his fist, "No arguments because this year I find that I have something I want to say."

Will turned and found Georgie behind him and she asked, "Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be." He ushered Georgie onto the stage and wrapped his arm around Elizabeth's waist as he guided her to a spot at his side.

Bingley introduced him to the crowd and Will stepped up to the microphone.

Will smiled as he started to speak, "Normally Charles Bingley has to drag me to the microphone kicking and screaming because as most of you know, I'm not a natural public speaker." There was laughter in the audience and he pulled Elizabeth toward him until she was standing next to him, "But this year there has been a great many changes in my life and I need to acknowledge all the blessings that I have received this year."

As Will looked down into Elizabeth's eyes, she saw the brightness of the unshed tears in the depths and she lifted a hand to stroke the side of his face.

Will turned back to the audience, "The biggest change in my life and the most wonderful blessing is my beautiful wife Elizabeth." His voice cracked slightly, "I thank God every day that he brought her into my life and I can't imagine living without her. Elizabeth, you are the air I breathe; the sun that nourishes me and the soil that helps me grow." His voice was deep with emotion, "You have made me a better man and just pray every day that I will deserve your love."

As he looked into his wife's eyes, he saw the emotion in their depth. He turned and nodded at his assistant who stepped forward with a flat package in her hands. Will took it from her, "I had this made as a gift to my wife for our first anniversary but after some thought I realized that the best place for this is here at Pemberly Wineries." He revealed the portrait of his family that was taken on his and Elizabeth's wedding day. There was a wave of awes from the crowd as they viewed the painting, "Elizabeth and Georgie are my family and I felt that it was time we take our place next to the portrait of my parents." He indicated the painting behind them, he had one arm around Elizabeth and he placed one arm on Georgie's shoulder, "This is my family and I am grateful for all that has been given to me this year." He turned and hung the painting on the spot that had been prepared for it.

Will's assistant handed him a piece of paper and he released Georgie and Elizabeth, "There is one more announcement that I would like to make this afternoon." He took Elizabeth's hand and watched as she narrowed her eyes in an unspoken question, "My wife Elizabeth is a great humanitarian and has taught me a lot about what needs to be accomplished in this world." He cocked his head to the side, "With that being said, in honor of my wife, I have started the _**Elizabeth Darcy Foundation**_ and as its first contributor I have made a personal gift to the foundation of one million dollars."

There was shock on Elizabeth's face as she tried to take in the announcement as Will continued, "The Elizabeth Darcy Foundation will help women from all walks of life to better their lives. It will help abused and battered women with a place to live while they get back on their feet, it will have a training program for women's career advancement and it will be a place where woman, young and old can get together to support one and other in their time of need or in their time of triumph." Will concluded his speech quickly, "I want to thank everyone for coming today and I want you to have a great day."

Elizabeth's shock was palpable as she made her way off of the stage. She got separated from Will as she and Georgie made their way to the ladies room.

Georgie was enthusiastic as she spoke to Elizabeth, "I can't believe what he's done for you." She hugged her, "Will loves you so much that he would do anything for you."

"I know." Elizabeth said quietly, "I have to go find him."

"Go." Georgie commanded as she watched Elizabeth race from the room. Georgie breathed a sigh of relief. _This was all going to work out._

Elizabeth's mind was taking her in a thousand directions as she searched for her husband. She realized how much he had changed over the last month and her eyes softened because she knew he was doing this for her. She knew he had claimed to have loved her from their first meeting but she also knew that his love for her had been a selfish thing. In the past he had never thought of anyone else's feelings besides his own. He had wanted to go out with her and so he did, he wanted to marry her and so he found a way to make it happen and he wanted a child so he became determined to make that happen as well no matter how she felt about it.

She saw that now he was thinking of her and what she would want. The wedding portrait he had had painted for her would now be hanging within the walls of Pemberly. Tears began to flood her eyes as she thought of the foundation that he had set up for her. She impatiently wiped the tears from her cheeks. But it wasn't just those grand gestures that he gave her but it was also the small things that he had done in the last few weeks. He had always pushed the boundaries of their physical relationship and he hadn't been pressuring her at all. A small voice in the back of her mind reminded her about her theory that the reason he wasn't pressuring her for sex anymore was because he was getting it elsewhere. She shoved the thought aside as she gave her husband the benefit of the doubt. _It could just be because he's been honoring your wishes._

Elizabeth spotted Will and she was hurrying over to him when she watched as a blonde woman approached Will. Elizabeth stopped in her tracks and couldn't help but hear what the woman said to her husband, "I wanted you to the first to know that I'm pregnant."

Elizabeth took an involuntary step back as Will picked the woman up and twirled her around in a circle as he said with obvious excitement, "That makes me so happy."

"Without you this would have never have happened." The blonde said as Will sat her back on the ground, "I'm only a few weeks along but I know you wanted this so badly as I did and so I had to let you know first."

Elizabeth felt like she had been punched in the stomach and she couldn't stand listening to their happiness anymore and hastily made her way back to the party.

She stopped at the wine tasting exhibition and poured herself a large glass of wine and drank it down in one gulp.

_I guess my first instincts were right; I wouldn't give him a baby so he found someone who would. _Elizabeth's thoughts screamed at her, _I was so stupid to think that he would be happy and faithful to me. All of this was just for show._

Elizabeth didn't know how many glasses of wine she had drank when she felt Will wrap his arms around her from behind.

"There's my beautiful bride." Will said as he nuzzled her neck, "Did you like my speech."

Elizabeth's face was stony as she said, "It was wonderful." She turned to face him and she glared up at him, "You gave a masterful performance as you shoveled shit to an unsuspecting audience."

"Elizabeth what the hell is wrong." Will said as he saw the glass in her hand, "I thought that this would make you happy."

"Why don't you go and make your girlfriend happy." Elizabeth spat the words at him as she wrenched herself away from him.

"I don't know what you're talking about but let's talk about this somewhere private." He led a reluctant Elizabeth out into the vineyards.

He stopped when they were far enough out so that no one else could hear them, "Now what are you talking about."

"You give this pretty little speech about how much you love me," Elizabeth snarled, "When the truth is that you have been sleeping with one of your blonde whores who is apparently pregnant with your bastard love child."

Will stood there dumbfounded and confused, "Elizabeth what are you talking about." He took her hand but she snatched it back, "I haven't touched another woman since I met you again."

Elizabeth looked at him with incredulity, "You are such a great liar, I would swear that you're telling me the truth."

"I am telling you the truth."

"Don't lie to me," Elizabeth demanded, "I saw the touching little scene when your lover told you that she was pregnant with your baby."

Comprehension dawned on Will's face, "Are you talking about Teresa?"

"So that's the little slut's name." Elizabeth snapped, "But I don't care what you call the woman who's pregnant with your bastard child."

"Teresa is not pregnant with my child." Will insisted, "Her husband is one of my executives, Kevin Cole and they've been trying to have a baby for years."

"No that's a lie; she said that she would not be pregnant if not for you." Elizabeth insisted.

Will shook his head, "You've completely misunderstood the circumstances, Kevin wanted to give up on trying to have a baby because they couldn't afford the in vitro procedures but I knew how much they both wanted a baby so I gave them the money."

"Really?" Elizabeth felt hope flare in her chest.

"Yes, really." Will pulled her into his arms, "The only woman I want is you and will always be you."

"It'd better stay that way." Elizabeth snarled at him.

"I promise you that." Will said with a smile, "I've never seen this from you and I have to admit that I'm kind of liking the jealous side of you my love."

Elizabeth glared up at him, "Stop teasing me, Will Darcy."

"Anything you say." Will agreed as he leaned down and kissed her lightly on the lips.

Elizabeth wrapped her arms around Will's neck and pulled him down to her as she kissed him passionately. Will groaned and lifted her until she wrapped her legs around him and was straddling him around the waist.

A fiery desire ran through Elizabeth's veins as her kisses became more insistent. Will matched her passion and felt his need grow as Elizabeth's hand burned trails across his skin. Her hands tugged the shirt from his pants and began to work at the buttons.

Will's head cleared from the passion induced fog as he remembered where they were. "Elizabeth we need to stop, we shouldn't do this here."

Will felt Elizabeth's breathing start to calm and he slid her down to her feet.

"We need to go back and join the party for a while." Will said as he kissed her and slowly let her go.

"I'll agree for now." Elizabeth said seductively, "But just wait until I get you home, I'm going to rock your world."

"You always do, my dear." Will responded as they made their way back to the party.

For the next hour, Will refused to leave Elizabeth's side. He took her over go say hello to Kevin and Teresa Cole and was grateful when he saw the love between the two of them and their obvious joy at the prospect of having a baby.

Although it seemed like someone was always filling his glass, Will didn't notice that he was getting pleasantly tipsy. He did notice that Elizabeth was having a problem with her balance and was slurring her words.

"How much have you had to drink?" He asked her with concern.

"I don't know." She answered truthfully, "After I saw you with Teresa, I was upset and just keep refilling the glass and drinking."

"Damn." Will said as he went to find Georgie, "Elizabeth is not feeling well, so we are going to walk back to the house."

"Whatever you say." Georgie said smugly, "We all saw the two of you come out of the vineyard looking quite disheveled but if you want to stick with this story I'm okay with it."

Will's face flushed, "Are you coming with us or are you going to stay for a while."

"I'm going to stay for the fireworks." Georgie said, "It will be in a half hour or so after it gets dark." She smiled up at her brother, "I'll see you at home later." She winked, "Have fun."

Will and Elizabeth said their goodbyes before they disappeared into the vineyard. The walk didn't take them long and when they got to the house, Will picked up his wife and carried her to her bedroom.

After getting her changed for bed, Will kissed her on the check as he said, "Good night, my love. We'll talk in the morning."

Elizabeth nodded her head and as her eyes closed, Will turned and left the room closing the door behind him.

He couldn't believe that he had just walked away from her but he knew that he couldn't take advantage of her while she was drunk.

He made his way back to his room slowly as he thought about everything that happened today. He hoped that he and Elizabeth could begin to repair their marriage.

He took a cold shower and slipped into bed. With a lighter heart, Will fell into a deep sleep.

His dreams were full of Elizabeth and he felt her slide into his bed beside him as she said, "I want you to make love to me."

Her lips sought his as she kissed him passionately and her tongue found his in a dance of desire. He couldn't suppress his moans as she ran her hands down his body. His hot mouth found her breasts and trailed his tongue around the taunt nipple as Elizabeth groaned her pleasure in response.

"I need you so much, it's been so long." Elizabeth murmured against his ear as her tongue found the sensitive area.

A sliver of sanity returned Will as he pulled his clouded mind from his dreamlike state. He sat straight up in bed taking Elizabeth with him as he realized that this wasn't a dream and that Elizabeth was in his bed with him.

He gently moved her off him, "Elizabeth, we can't, you've been drinking and I want to make sure that when we make love again that it's really what you want."

Elizabeth looked him deep in his eyes, "I may have been a little drunk earlier but I'm sober now." She leaned over and kissed him again, "My mind is clear and I know exactly what I want." She settled herself on top of him and squeezed him between her thighs as she leaned down to kiss him, "I want you."

Will's good sense lost the battle with his desire as she kissed him with a feverish intensity and his body responded as they brought each other to new heights of pleasure until together they found mutual their release.

Will fell asleep with a smile on his face and Elizabeth in his arms. With a sigh he felt like he was whole again and Elizabeth was finally back where she belonged in his bed and the light in his world.

* * *

A/N: This was a tough chapter and took forever to write, I'm glad that it is finished. I hope that you enjoy it and it will be all worth it.

Tina Marie


	29. Chapter 29

**WARNING: This Chapter has a scene of violence that might disturbing to some readers.**

**A/N: Well this chapter is here. The moment that I've been working towards through this entire book. It will answer some questions that alot of you have had for a long time. I appreciate all of the good thoughts that I receive from everyone and also the people who have alerted or made this story one of their favorites. It makes me feel good to know that you like what I have written.**

**Just to let you know I will be cowering in a corner until the review start to come in because of the nature of the chapter. (I will assure you that all will turn out well but...)**

**Thank You,**

**Tina Marie**

When Will woke up in the morning he reached for Elizabeth and she was gone. He got out of bed, took a quick shower and went downstairs to find Elizabeth. He checked the kitchen and she wasn't there so he went on the search the entire first floor of the house.

Will felt the fear as it rose in his chest and he called out for his wife as he ran up the stairs two at a time to her room. She wasn't there and he began to panic as he dialed Elizabeth's cell phone but her phone went straight to voicemail.

He called Richard and barked into the phone when his cousin answered, "Where is she?"

"She's with me little cousin." He heard the amusement in Richard's voice, "There's no need to fly off the handle just because she decided to take a walk in the vineyards this morning. We'll be home in a few minutes."

By the time Will managed to calm his breathing and walk downstairs, he heard a key in the lock of the front door.

When he saw Elizabeth step through the front door, he stood motionless as he drank in how beautiful she was. Her face was flushed from the walk and her eyes were brightened by the exercise. She had her hair up in a high ponytail and she was dressed casually in t-shirt and shorts. To Will she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

Richard came in behind her but quickly disappeared as he saw the look in his cousin's eyes. He had a slight smile on his face as when he left neither of them seemed to notice his departure.

Will stared at his wife for a few minutes before she broke the silence, "I just wanted to get out for a walk to clear my head this morning."

Will suddenly felt awkward as he drank in the loveliness of his Elizabeth and his brain could not seem to form words as the weeks of loneliness and heartbreak caught up with him. His eyes never left her face as he remembered that she had come to him last night. But his heart began to constrict in his chest as he realized that she might not be feeling the same thing as him. She had been drunk and she might be angry that he had taken advantage of her.

Elizabeth was silent as she watched a range of emotions play over her husband's face. She saw the tortured expression that she had come to know so well in the last few weeks as it made an appearance so she closed the gap between them. She took Will's hand in hers as she stretched up to her tip toes so that she could place a soft kiss on his lips.

With a sigh he bent down and gathered her in his arms just as she whispered in his ear, "I was just taking a quick walk to clear the cobwebs from my head before I start to move my things back into our bedroom, if that's alright with you."

A strangled sob ripped through Will's body as he lifted Elizabeth up into his arms and carried her upstairs to the bedroom she had been using.

"That's more than alright with me." Will's voice cracked with emotion as he elbowed the door open and set her down on the floor, "All I want is you."

Will was more than willing to help his wife move her things back into their room as he proved when he began pulling clothes out of the closet.

Georgie came out of her bedroom as they took in the first load and she burst out with joy, "Oh I knew it would all work out for you two." She jumped up and down in the hallway with excitement, "Can I help you?"

"The more the merrier." Will grinned and the weight of the world seemed to disappear from his shoulders.

With the help of Georgie, Richard and the guys, Elizabeth was moved back into their room in a few hours.

After they finished, Will and Elizabeth spent a quiet Sunday just talking over everything that had gone wrong in their relationship and Elizabeth was pleased to see how much Will had changed during their time apart.

"I can't tell you how sorry I am." Will shook his head, "When I think of all the things that I did wrong it just tears me up inside." His eyes looked deeply into hers, "I want to be a better man for you and I promise that I will never disregard your feelings again."

The next few weeks flew by as Will and Elizabeth found each other again. It was a beautiful Thursday in April when Elizabeth and Georgie got home from school; Will was waiting for them at the door with an envelope in his hand.

"It's from Stanford," Will breathed as he handed her the letter with shaky hands.

Elizabeth opened the envelope quickly and read the contents of the letter before a smile graced her lips, "I've been accepted."

Georgie squealed with delight and hugged her sister, "I'm so happy for you."

She discretely left so that Will and Elizabeth could share this moment. Will pulled her into a hug, "I'm so proud of you and I'm sure you'll love Stanford."

A dark cloud passed over Elizabeth's face as she asked, "What about us, Will? What are we going to do?" She looked into her husband's eyes and was surprised to see him smiling.

"Well in anticipation of this moment." Will's grin was huge, "I have talked to Bingley and we have come up with a solution." He saw curiosity in Elizabeth's eyes, "We can set up remote access and I can work from our home in Palo Alto or wherever else you might decide to go to college." He looked down at his wife, "This is all contingent upon your approval, of course."

"Of course I approve." Elizabeth smiled, "I don't know anyone who would not approve of such a plan."

"I've talked to Richard and he has agreed to stay here with Georgie during the school year if she were to decide to stay and go to school here."

Elizabeth thought for a moment, "I could probably schedule all of my classes into four days so that we can come back for the other three."

"Well I guess it's all settled then." Will said as he hugged his wife.

"What's all settled?" Georgie asked as she stepped into the room.

"Elizabeth is going to Stanford." Will told his sister proudly before he explained all of the plans that they were making.

"I don't want to stay here without you." Georgie said quickly, "With Neal leaving in the fall there is nothing to keep me from changing schools. I want to stay with you if that's okay."

"Yes, it's okay." Will said as he hugged her, "I would have missed you, otherwise."

"Me too," Elizabeth agreed, "I don't know what I would have done without my best friend and sister."

Georgie looked like tears were about to explode as she threw her arms around Elizabeth.

"I love you Elizabeth."

"I love you too."

The girls clung together and Will felt his heart expand as he knew they were truly a family.

* * *

The next morning, Elizabeth and Georgie went to school and were both thankful that it was Friday. Elizabeth was on her way to her last class with Richard following behind her when they heard the fire alarm go off.

"Damn fire drill." Elizabeth just wanted to go to class and get done for the day and she had no patience for the games the school liked to play.

"Find Carter and Georgie," Richard instructed, "I'm going to find the principal to find out what's happening."

Elizabeth nodded and went to Georgie's classroom but she couldn't see either Georgie or Carter. She turned around and spotted one of Georgie's classmates, "Have you seen Georgie?"

The girl looked at her with a quizzical expression but answered, "Yeah, she was walking toward the football field with that old teacher, you know the blond good-looking one." She concentrated before she looked up and smiled, "You know the one I'm talking about, Mr. Williams; he subbed for Miss Carlson."

Elizabeth's eyes widened with shock, "Have you seen Mr. Carter?"

"No he wasn't with them."

Elizabeth knew she didn't have a minute to waste and there was a crush of students coming from all directions as they answered the fire drill.

She pushed her way through the students as she raced toward the football field. She didn't slow as she scanned for Georgie and Elizabeth was relieved when she saw her standing at the edge of the field just outside the wooded area that separated the school from the main road.

"Georgie, what are you doing out here?" Elizabeth called as she kept walking toward the girl. Her moment of relief was gone as she saw Denny Saunders step out of the woods behind her.

She felt someone come up behind her a moment before a hand was placed over her mouth. She was being pushed towards the woods as she heard the soft laugh at her ear, "You really didn't think you could elude me forever." He took his hand off her mouth for her to answer.

"No." Elizabeth answered softly, "What did you do with Mr. Carter."

Wickham laughed, "That was easy. I just had to wait until the fire alarm went off and when he was momentarily distracted, Saunders grabbed him, knocked him out and tied him up in the closet next to her classroom. There were so many students that nobody even noticed."

As they crossed the tree line, Elizabeth saw that Denny Saunders had a struggling Georgie and also held his hand over her mouth.

Suddenly the air was pieced with the wail of sirens and Denny started to panic, "They know what we did, they're coming to get us."

"No one knows what we've done." Wickham shot a malevolent look at the boy, "It's just the fire department responding to the bomb threat I called in to the school."

While Wickham was momentarily distracted Elizabeth caught Georgie's eye and nodded her head slightly. Georgie shook her head in the negative but to answer Elizabeth nodded her head slightly up and down again. Georgie's face showed her reluctance but she complied.

Georgie closed her eyes as she elbowed Denny in the ribs and she heard a rush of air as it escaped his lungs. He lost his grip on her and she stomped on his foot before she turned and kneed him in the groin. Denny Saunders cried out in pain and fell to the ground as Georgie stopped for one brief moment and with a feeling of immense satisfaction, Georgie kicked him in the mouth and saw him spit blood before she glanced once more at Elizabeth and ran for the school.

Denny Saunders was writhing in pain on the forest floor when Wickham yelled at him, "Go after her you idiot."

Saunders just moaned in response and Wickham lost his temper, "I don't know why I ever put up with you." Wickham leaned over to pull Denny to his feet. "You're an idiot." He growled at his accomplice, "Go get her or we'll both go to jail."

Denny looked like he was going to faint and he muttered, "I didn't sign up for this." He stood there shaking as he pointed to Elizabeth, "I just wanted her, I've always wanted her and you promised me that I could have her after you were done."

Elizabeth's eyes grew wide at what happened next, "I'm out of this." Denny took off running through the woods away from the school.

Elizabeth couldn't help it and began to laugh, "You really know how to pick em, Wickham."

"Shut up." He snapped at her.

"Well, now that you have me, what are you going to do now?" Elizabeth wanted to keep him talking to keep him off balance and distracted.

Wickham grinned, "Well I figure that your loving husband will give me a nice chunk of change to get you back." His eyes narrowed, "I could have gotten a lot more for both of you but I guess you'll just have to do."

"So how are you supposed to get me out of here anyway?"

"I don't think that's an option anymore since your little friend is going to run to the authorities and tell them right where we are."

Elizabeth shook her head, "No she's not, we agreed on this plan a long time ago and I made her promise to save herself if she had the opportunity."

"She's going to save her own skin." Wickham chuckled before he looked at Elizabeth sharply, "While we are talking so pleasantly and you are being so honest with me, how did the girl learn those sorts of moves because I know she didn't know them before."

"We took a self-defense class."

"But I had Saunders following you and reporting back to me so how come he didn't know about them." Wickham asked in a light curious tone.

"I had a strange feeling about Saunders and we took them on a day when he had football practice so he never knew." Elizabeth arched her eyebrows, "So I guess I was right about him."

"Yeah, I originally paid him to start the rumor about the girl." He sighed, "He screwed that up of course." Wickham tilted his head, "I figured that since she was new at the school that such a rumor would greatly hamper her chances of making friends and being happy. I would accidentally happen upon her when he was harassing her and would save her from his unwanted advances and get to play the hero." He sighed, "You see I still hadn't given up on her." His grin was wide, "She liked me and I liked her money. You see, your husband had it all wrong, I wasn't just trying to get into her pants, I had convinced her to run away and marry me in Vegas. I had it all planned until that knuckle dragging brother of hers showed up." He turned around to look at Elizabeth while keeping a tight grip on her, "But the one thing I didn't count on was you but you turned out to be a great asset to me."

"How could I have been an asset to you?" Elizabeth asked.

"I'm glad you asked because it was quite a feat of detective work. I managed to get cozy with Darcy's secretary and she had some really interesting things to tell me. I did some digging and found out how Will Darcy had been completely head over heels in love with you but that he had given that up due to your age." Wickham ran his eyes over Elizabeth's figure, "That's never stopped me but to each his own. It didn't take me long before I found out when you would be eighteen and I planned to accidentally run into you in Jamba Juice and ask you out." His grin was wide, "I figured a good way to get back at Darcy would be to have the girl he loved fall for me." Wickham shook his head impatiently, "Damn Darcy beat me by a day so my plan went up in smoke and I had to come up with another way to get to you. Coincidentally for me I had just met a teacher from your school, the hapless Miss Carlson."

"So you convinced her to run away to Vegas to marry you but why did you have to kill her? She had already quit and the job was yours."

"She heard me on the phone to Saunders and she started to put things together." Wickham admitted, "I had no other choice but to get rid of her."

"You are horrible; you would do all of that for money." Elizabeth struggled to get away from him, "I can't let you use me that way."

"Money makes the world go round and I'll show you what happens to women who don't behave properly." He drew his fist back and punched Elizabeth in the stomach before he threw her to the ground and began tearing at her clothes. "Struggle all you want," Wickham laughed, "I like it rough." He didn't stop hitting her and he even kicked her a few times.

Elizabeth bit his hand and he hit her in the mouth as he reached to unzip his pants, "I'll show you better things to do with that pretty mouth of yours."

Elizabeth had to pull her beaten and battered body off the ground as she used up the last bit of energy she had. She grabbed Wickham by his shoulders and with the leverage of her body flipped him over her body and forced him to the ground. She dropped down on top of him, pinned him to the ground and kneed him in the balls as she pushed her elbow into his throat to cut off his air. With her other hand and legs she hit and kicked every inch of his body that she could find.

She was startled when she felt herself being lifted off of him with gentle arms. She found herself sobbing in the arms of her husband as he walked toward the school, "Georgie." Elizabeth croaked through the tears.

"Georgie's fine," Will assured his wife, "She is with the police who picked up Denny Saunders on the road."

Will strode past the police and the fire truck as well as the students who were standing at the front of the school.

"Will, where are you taking me?" Elizabeth asked.

"To the hospital, baby." Will answered as he tried to choke back the emotion, "You have been injured." Will knew that was an understatement as he saw his wife's badly beaten face as well as the cuts and bruises that were everywhere on her body.

He put her in the passenger seat of his car and pulled on her seatbelt before he got into his car and signaled to the police officer who was going to give him an escort to the hospital.

As Will pulled up at the emergency entrance of the hospital, his car was surrounded by hospital personnel as they pulled her from the car and rushed her into the building.

Richard pulled up with the other two security men and Georgie. His sister rushed to him and threw her arms around him. "My god, Will what did he do to her? I knew I should have never left her."

"Georgie, Elizabeth was right to send you away and if you hadn't come to find Richard we wouldn't have even known where she was so your coming to get us could mean the difference between Elizabeth living or dying." He put his arm around his sister as he walked her inside.

"Where's Wickham?" Will asked Richard, "My lovely Elizabeth was not going to go down without a fight."

"He's pretty mangled," Richard told him, "But I don't think she did any permanent damage to him so he'll be able to spend the remainder of his pathetic life behind bars where he belongs."

Georgie took a step back and she said, "You mean Elizabeth did all of that to him."

"Yeah," Richard answered, "I don't know how she had the strength after he beat and kicked the crap out of her."

A doctor approached and asked, "Mr. Darcy."

Will stepped forward, "That's me, how's my wife."

"I'm Dr. Jones and we're taking your wife for some tests. The good news is that there doesn't appear to be any internal bleeding and I don't know how but she didn't lose the baby."

"Baby?" Three voices echoed the same question.

Dr. Jones nodded, "She's very early in her pregnancy, just a few weeks and most women would have lost the baby after a trauma such as the one your wife just suffered." Dr. Jones smiled, "Your wife is asking to see you before we take her in to get the tests. In fact, she is refusing to go until she speaks with you."

"That's my Elizabeth; she will be stubborn until the day she dies." Will said as the tears rolled down his face. Will didn't know if the tears were joy, relief, fear of losing her or any of a number of myriad emotions that were running wild through his soul.

The doctor led him to Elizabeth's room and she smiled weakly at him when he entered. "Has the doctor told you our news?"

"He told us about the baby," Will's emotion showed in every feature of his face, "But if you don't want…"

Elizabeth stopped him by putting a finger to his lips, "Of course I want our baby."

"But…"

Elizabeth sighed, "Will, I wouldn't have gotten pregnant intentionally but now that the baby is a fact, I could never kill a baby that came from our love." She smiled up at him, "That's not who I am."

"Are you sure?" Will asked not quite able to believe what he was hearing, "But what about Stanford?"

"Yes I am and we'll work everything else out." Her eyes sparkled, "We have options."

"We have to take her now." Dr. Jones said, "We'll have her back soon."

Will walked back to Georgie and Richard with mixed feelings, he was still worried about his wife but he was excited about the baby that they were going to have. So much had happened in one day that he didn't know how to react.

* * *

Richard and Georgie were looking at him expectantly when he returned, "We're going to have a baby." Will said and the other two cheered.

The police brought Wickham in a little later and one of the officers brought Elizabeth's purse to Will. "We found this in the woods where the attack happened.

Will did something he had never done before and he opened Elizabeth's purse and what he found was a huge surprise. He found a mini recorder in her purse and he pushed play. His quick thinking Elizabeth had managed to record everything that happened in the woods that day. Including every confession that Elizabeth had gotten Wickham to make but when it got to the end, Will shut the recording off because he knew that he couldn't hear the horrific attack on his wife.

He asked the front desk where the officers had taken Wickham and he found them quickly standing guard at Wickham's room.

He handed the recorder to the police officer and said with a smile, "You should have everything you need to convict Wickham of not only kidnapping, assault and battery but also Nevada will want to arrest him for the murder that occurred in their jurisdiction."

The man listened to the recording and realized that the head's up woman had made their case for them. He called the information into the precinct and they were sending the District Attorney who had been assigned to the case to get the evidence.

When Elizabeth got back from having her tests, Will went to join her. He bent down to kiss her while trying not to hurt her.

All of the tests had come back negative and Dr. Jones assured them that besides a couple broken ribs, contusions and bruises that Elizabeth would be fine.

The hospital agreed reluctantly for Georgie to visit with Elizabeth briefly and the first thing that Georgie said was, "I didn't want to leave you."

"I know." Elizabeth said, "But we had talked about this and we both knew that one of us needed to go for help and I owe you my life."

"Don't try to pull that one on me." Georgie chuckled, "I saw what you did to Wickham and Will said that he had to drag you off of Wickham."

Elizabeth laughed shortly before grabbing her ribs that had been taped up, "He shouldn't have made me mad."

"I don't think anyone will want to make you mad from now on."

The nurse interrupted and said that it was time for Georgie to leave as it was time for Mrs. Darcy to sleep.

* * *

When Will visited her the next day he couldn't contain his curiosity and asked his wife, "How long had you been carrying around the recorder?"

"Since we found out that Miss Carlson was dead." Elizabeth admitted, "I knew I had to be prepared so if he did kill me that hopefully the police would be able to convict him of my murder and hers."

Will's eyes took on a wild look, "I don't know what I would have done if something like that had happened to either of you."

"Will, how long was I with Wickham?"

"It was about fifteen minutes between the time you left the school and the time that we found you in the woods."

"Oh it seemed longer." Elizabeth said, "But that leads me to another question. How did you get there so quickly?"

"Baby, I was already there." Will answered, "I had decided to surprise you by picking you up after school and taking you away for the weekend."

"Oh."

Will shook his head, "I didn't know that the only place I would get to take you was the hospital." Will shivered, "Thank God I was there and I can still take you away for spring break because once the little one comes we certainly won't have much time." Will traced the contours of her stomach with his hand, "It's hard to believe that next year we'll have a baby."

"About that," Elizabeth looked at her husband through her lashes, "I've decided that I will defer my admission to Stanford for a year until after the baby is born." She smiled, "I was thinking that after graduation I could work at the new foundation until the baby is born."

"Whatever you want to do." Will said the emotion on his face, "I will support you in anything that you want to do."

"Good." Elizabeth said, "Because I'm also going to be doing some speaking engagements for Charlotte Lucas."

"You are going to be a busy woman." Will said as he kissed his wife gently.


	30. Chapter 30

Will waited for Elizabeth at the entrance to the school. Their suitcase was in the trunk and Richard was going to stay with Georgie.

The last month had been very stressful for the whole family as the story of Elizabeth's ordeal in the woods had garnered national media attention. Reporters had not wanted to leave them alone and everyone wanted the family's first- hand account of the story.

The reporters had hung around for weeks despite the fact that none of the Darcy's were talking. They had finally left earlier in the week when another story had caught the media firestorm and Will had breathed a sigh of relief.

He and Elizabeth could now spend the weekend in peace without reporters digging up every little bit of information on the couple. Will had everything planned out down to the last detail and Mrs. Annesley had agreed to release Elizabeth from classes early.

He looked at his watch and saw that it was almost noon. Elizabeth should be being informed any time now and would be joining him.

He couldn't help but smile when he saw his wife headed his way. She was his whole reason for breathing and it was like a knife twisting in his gut every time he thought about how close he had come to losing her.

Elizabeth's green eyes were blazing with barely restrained anger as she reached him, "Will Darcy, how dare you pull me from class." The stress was obvious in her eyes, "You have no idea how much work I have to do."

Without a word he took her hand and led her to the car, "I think I have a pretty good idea." A grin spread across his face, "I've heard about everything for the last few weeks." He snapped his fingers, "Let me see, you have to study for final's, which are still almost a month away; you have to write you valedictorian speak that you don't need that until graduation in a month and you have to start preparing for the baby but we both know that there is no urgency there because the baby won't be here for over 7 months." He lifted her chin and found her eyes, "Am I missing something or is there more."

Elizabeth shook her head and shot daggers from her eyes, "You think you are so clever, don't you."

He picked her up and swept her up into his arms as he walked toward the car, "Yes, I do." He said as he opened the car door and placed her on the passenger's seat and belted her into the car.

"Will, where are you taking me?"

"I'm taking you on a romantic spa weekend in Sonoma." He said as he got into his seat and started the car, "It's where I was going to take you before I found about your father." He leaned over to kiss her, "Only this time, Georgie doesn't have to play chaperone and we won't have separate rooms." Will's voice was husky with desire as he feathered soft kisses down to the hollow of her neck. "I can't wait to get you all to myself for a few days."

"Will, I don't have the time," Elizabeth narrowed her eyes as he pulled out of the school parking lot, "You've forgotten that I need to prepare for my summer speaking schedule and I still have to write my blog."

"I haven't forgotten about either of those things." Will said as he glanced over at his stubborn wife, "You already are prepared for your speaking engagements and your blog can wait for a few days." His eyes caught hers, "You need to give yourself a break and live life again. Thanks to you Wickham has been caught and after the trial here, he will be extradited to Nevada and face murder charges there." His voice was persuasive, "Come on Lizzie because of you, Denny Saunders was caught and charged." His tone changed, "We deserve to take some time for ourselves before the baby comes."

Will took her hand in his, "Elizabeth, it's been almost a month since you were released from the hospital and we need to take this time together." He took her hand and placed it on his heart, "We haven't been together since before your ordeal and we need time alone to get reacquainted." Will moved her hand downward until it rested on his warm thigh.

Elizabeth arched her eyebrows at him as she snatched her hand back, "Whose fault is that." She demanded, "You've been treating me like a breakable doll for a month and haven't touched me." Her head shook angrily, "If you're so unsatisfied, you have only yourself to blame."

Will sighed; they had been having this fight ever since Elizabeth had come home from the hospital. "Elizabeth, your ribs have finally just healed enough so that they don't cause you unbearable pain; besides the fact that the doctor wasn't convinced that you were ready for such strenuous activity."

Elizabeth snorted, "Dr. Jones said weeks ago that it was up to us when we resumed our normal activities."

"You know that I was afraid of hurting you." Will admitted as he cast his eyes downward for a brief moment, "I thought you understood that I wanted you to be completely healthy before we made love again." He glanced at his wife, "It doesn't mean I wanted or needed you any less but I couldn't justify the incredible amount of selfishness it would have taken me to take a chance of hurting you or our baby for my own carnal pleasure."

"I kept telling you that I felt fine." Elizabeth said petulantly.

"But every time you moved the wrong way I could see the pain in your face." Will said as he stroked the side of her face lightly with the back of his hand.

Elizabeth sat up straight in her seat as a thought struck her, "So how did you get Mrs. Annesley to agree to let me out of class early?"

Will grinned, "It was a simple task; I just used charm, guile and persuasion." He shifted to see his wife smiling, "Okay, I told her you had a follow up doctor's appointment."

Elizabeth laughed and Will enjoyed the sound, "So you haven't changed very much at all." The light in Elizabeth's eyes danced with humor, "Still lying to get what you want."

Will growled low in his throat, "I couldn't wait to get you where I want you." He took her hand and placed in on his lap.

Elizabeth felt the full force of Will's arousal and smiled, "A person would think you hadn't had sex in over a month." She stroked him through his jeans and was satisfied when she heard an involuntary moan escape his lips.

"If you keep playing with me," Will's voice was dark and menacing, "I will have no choice but to pull over on the side of the road and show you how much I want you right now."

"Okay," Elizabeth agreed smugly, "I'll stop teasing you for now."

"I can't wait to get to the hotel so that I can wipe that self-satisfied grin off your face." Will's voice was light and mocking.

"I can't wait."

They got to the hotel in record time and Will checked them into their suite. The first thing Elizabeth did when they arrived was to open the curtains and take in the impressive view of Sonoma Valley.

After Will had tipped the bellman for bringing up their bags, he joined his wife at the window and wrapped his arms around her waist and breathed in her scent, "I love you, Elizabeth Darcy."

Elizabeth turned around, "So what are we going to do first, get a spa treatment or go for a horseback ride?" She grinned at her husband whose eyes narrowed at her words.

"Neither of those things would be quite the satisfying experience that I had in mind for right now." Will's voice was husky in her ear as he lifted her off her feet and made his way to the large bed.

Will's mouth was hungry and demanding as hers was crushed beneath his in a soul searching kiss. Will laid her gently on the bed as his hands began an assault on her body as he slowly undid the buttons on her shirt.

He parted the light fabric and released the hook on the front of her bra. His hands pushed aside the lace impatiently as his ravenous mouth closed over a dusky nipple and sucked lightly until Elizabeth arched her back to meet him.

Elizabeth eagerly lifted Will's shirt over his head and unbuttoned his jeans and slowly lowered the zipper. Will stood swiftly as he shed his jeans and pulled hers down her hips as he pressed kisses all along her supple body. Once their jeans were gone, Will hooked his finger under her lacy panties and removed them with ease.

He placed light kisses along her stomach as he lowered his head, "Will, please, I need you so badly." Elizabeth cried out as she arched her soft body to meet the hard planes of his.

He slid his body into hers and they moved together in a rhythm as old as time. Together they rode the crest of their desire until the waves of ecstasy exploded at the pinnacle of their release.

As they lay together entwined with each other's bodies, Elizabeth ran her hands along her husband's body, "I love you, Will Darcy."

Will's face was fierce as he kissed her, "As I love you, Mrs. Darcy and I always will until we are both old and gray."

"We will have a pile of children and grandchildren who will be completely grossed out when they realize that the old folks are still getting it on between the sheets."

Will laughed at her words and his heart leaped in his chest at the thought of the future they would have together. He could have never dreamed that such happiness was possible, "You, my dear, are going to keep me on my toes for the rest of my life."

"You can count on that." Elizabeth laughed as she kissed her husband and felt his desire against her thigh, "Why Mr. Darcy," She said in her best regency gentlewoman's voice, "How large you have grown. Whatever shall we do with that?"

Will took her hand and pressed it to him as he said with a wolfish grin, "I have a few ideas."

Sometime that weekend, the couple finally emerged from their suite to ride horses through the beautiful countryside and get a few couples spa treatments but they never strayed far from each other as their love for each other shone as brightly as the sun.

* * *

**A/N: Well, we finally got there. This is the last regular chapter for this story. I hope it was worth the time all of my fantastic readers have invested in this story. There will be an epilogue which I am working on as we speak so hopefully you won't have to wait long for that.**

**I will tell you that not everything turned out as I originally invisioned the story but as a writer you have to go with the moment and I believe the changes made the story stronger. **

**Thank you for all of you kind words and encouragement.**

**Tina Marie**


	31. Chapter 31 Epilogue

_**Epilogue**_

_**5 Years Later**_

Will looked out at the crowd and smiled, "I'm here to introduce a woman that you that needs no introduction. She's the best-selling author of _The Power is Yours_, she's the founder of the Elizabeth Darcy foundation, she's the subject of 3 or more made for TV movies – none of which got anything right, except her name, recent graduate from Stanford University; my lovely wife and most important of all loving mother of our beautiful daughter Sammy Jane."

Elizabeth hissed in his ear and stomped on his foot, "I mean our beautiful daughter Samantha Jane." He eyed Elizabeth warily before he continued, "Give a warm welcome for Elizabeth Darcy."

The thunderous applause rang in his ears as Elizabeth stepped up to the microphone. He took his place at Elizabeth's side while Georgie stepped up next to her.

"Thank you for that wonderful welcome." Elizabeth said warmly to the audience, "Now we are going to do things a little differently today." Elizabeth glanced up at Will through her long black lashes and smiled, "My husband felt it necessary to distract me last night so I have no talk planned for today. I know most of you probably have questions for us so this will be an opportunity to get your questions answered. I have decided to open the forum up to questions for myself, Will and my sister Georgiana Darcy." Elizabeth turned to indicate a couple ladies who were standing in the wings behind her, "I have also arranged for you to hear from a couple of amazing women that I met through the foundation and I'm sure you will be as impressed as I have been with their stories and transformations."

Will had known this was coming but his insides gave a lurch at the thought of the random questions that they would be fielding for the next hour or so.

"You have a question." Elizabeth pointed to a woman in the front row.

The woman stood and Elizabeth watched as her eyes slid toward Will, "Yes, there is one thing I've always wanted to know. How is Mr. Darcy in bed?"

Elizabeth just smiled as she knew this question would come up sooner or later, "That is a very good question." She glanced at her husband with a wicked smile, "He's fantastic, mind-blowing, orgasmic and completely distracting while I'm trying to prepare."

The audience laughed and Elizabeth pointed to a young man in the back, "This question is for Georgiana." Elizabeth recognized the voice immediately and moved aside so Georgie could have the spotlight.

"I understand that you went out with Neal Robinson when you were a freshman in high school and I wanted to know how you feel about him now."

Georgie was delighted to see Neal in the audience and her answer was impertinent, "I haven't seen the gentleman in years so I'm not sure I can answer that question at this moment." She caught his eyes and raised her eyebrows in challenge, "But if he were feeling brave enough he could ask me out to dinner and find out."

"Georgiana Darcy, will you have dinner with me?" Neal asked with a courtly little bow.

"I will have to think about it." Georgie answered evasively making the audience snicker in response.

Neal was surprised to see how much Georgie had changed in the last five years but he liked the challenge in her and was determined to get to know her again.

"You sir, you have the next question." Georgie picked the man with a wave of her hand.

"If none of the TV movies were accurate, what really happened in the woods with George Wickham and Denny Saunders."

Will slipped his arm around his wife's waist and nodded at her with a comforting smile, "George Wickham and Denny Saunders took my sister, Georgie and I into the woods to rape and murder us to get revenge on my husband." The audience grew restless with the blunt statement, "He had an issue with Will because he had caught Wickham in a compromising situation with Georgiana. He told me very plainly in the woods that he wanted to marry Georgie for her money and he was stopped by Will."

"Well, now that Wickham is dead I guess there's no one to contradict your story." The man stated, "You did know that George Wickham was killed in a knife fight last week in a Nevada prison."

Will stepped up to the mike, "Yes, my wife and I had been informed of that fact."

Elizabeth's answer was simple, "There is a tape-recorded version of everything that I have said and the Napa Police have that tape in their possession. Also Denny Saunders turned state's evidence for a reduced sentence and corroborated everything that I have said. He got probation for three years and he and his parents left the area a few years ago."

Will wanted to change the subject and cleared his throat before he asked, "Next question."

A woman from the back row stood up, "So Will, Elizabeth was pretty up front about your relationship in her book so is there anything that you did back then that you would liked to have done differently."

Will cleared his throat, "I'm not a perfect man as my wife and sister will tell you in great detail. I have made a great many mistakes in my relationship with Elizabeth and I have addressed each one of those with her and worked on being a better man and a better husband."

Elizabeth stepped up to the microphone, "Will has been supportive of my life, my schooling and my career." She squeezed his hand, "While I was in college he worked from home so that we didn't have to be apart. When I have speaking engagements, he arranges his schedule to mine and I cannot fault his unswerving faith in what I do. He has never once asked me to change something in my book or blog because it would made him look bad and he has taken every criticism for all of his actions without complaint." She smiled up at her husband, "Does anyone else have another question?"

"You were married to your husband when you were still in high school, how did your classmates react to that?"

"The girl's wanted to know how Will was in bed and I've already answered that question today." Elizabeth glanced at her husband, "And most of the boys wanted to find out personally how good I was in bed." The audience laughed, "I was never willing to divulge that information." Elizabeth leaned her head onto her husband's shoulder, "But seriously after the first month it wasn't such a big deal anymore and I was like any other senior working my butt off trying to get into a good college."

Elizabeth chose the next person to ask a question and the older lady stood up to speak, "Will, as has been discussed, Elizabeth was pretty clear in her book about how you always got everything you ever wanted by any means necessary. Do you regret coercing her into marriage and a baby at such a young age?"

"In a way, yes I believe that I should have waited but at the time what happened seemed like a good idea. But in another way, no I can't regret any moment of my life with Elizabeth as everything I did was for the love of a woman," He pulled his wife closer to him and squeezed, "For this woman, my woman, my wife."

The emotion in Will seemed to burst forth and he swung Elizabeth up into his arms and leaned down to kiss her. A thunderous applause broke out as every member of the audience rose to their feet in a standing ovation.

At the raucous noise coming from the audience, Samantha Jane Darcy broke away from her Aunt Jane.

As the little girl with dark bouncing curls and her father's blue eyes came running to join her parents the roar of the audience was silenced in an instant.

"Mommy, Daddy," The girl came to a halt when she saw her father with her mother in his arms and she said loudly enough for the audience to hear, "Oh… Mommy and Daddy are just having playtime again."

The laughter from the audience was deafening as the little girl peeked from behind her father's legs and he scooped her up and placed her on his hip. The immense love he felt for his daughter overflowed and with love shining in his eyes for his wife, Will whispered, "Are you ready to try for a boy now?"

Elizabeth pressed a kiss on her husband's lips and murmured, "Yes, but don't forget precocious girls run in my family."

Will smiled indulgently at his wife as he gave thanks for all of the blessings he had received in his life, "We shall see."

"That we will," Elizabeth agreed as her husband carried her and Sammy off the stage.

Elizabeth looked around for Georgie and saw her by the stairs talking to Neal and she sighed with contentment.

_**The End**_


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